


O my Enemy, do I terrify?

by snowspriestess



Series: Lady Lazarus [2]
Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, sequel to out of the ash i rise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-10-22 09:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 51,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17660564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowspriestess/pseuds/snowspriestess
Summary: O my enemy. Do i terrify?sequel to 'Out of the Ash I rise'; Zelda is High Priestess and married to Faustus.





	1. Heart of the Darkness

Zelda was sitting in her office, legs stretched out and resting on top of her desk and a book in her hands. She had been forced to endure an hours long Council session today and was just waiting for Faustus to finish his seminars so they could finally get home.

Eventually there was a knock on the door, and her husband slipped into the room.

Her gaze travelled up from the book, a slight smile forming on her lips. “What took you so long?” she asked, watching him walk towards her.

“Oh you know”, he sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her out of the chair, sitting her down on the desk. “the usual stuff”, he finished the sentence, pressing a light kiss onto her cheek. Their faces were the same height now.

She wrapped her legs around his body, pressing herself tighter against him. One whole day without him clearly was too long. Now she felt the familiar twist in her stomach whenever she was around him. Her fingers mindlessly played with the diamond ring on her finger. “Edward and Diana are going out tonight”, she said into the silence. “I promised we would watch Sabrina for the night.” Her niece was a girl of five, sweet and delicate but also incredibly stubborn if she didn’t get her wishes. Her brother liked to joke that this was Zelda’s influence on her.

Faustus shrugged. “We can stay at your house then”, he offered, placing another kiss on her cheek. His breath crept over her skin, making her shiver. Then he moved towards her neck, softly nibbling at the skin.

Zelda sighed, fully aware that this couldn’t continue right now. They needed to get to the Spellman house and watch over Sabrina, before her parents left. Hilda was staying overnight on a field trip with the Academy, so she wasn’t available as a babysitter. “We should really get going”, she muttered, although not sounding nearly as convincing as she should.

His lips found hers, kissing her for a moment. Then he pulled away, lips brushing over hers ever so slightly. Not a second later they were in the Spellman house, Zelda sitting on the kitchen table. “Happy?” he asked, a smirk on his lips. Now he played with the ring on her finger, the engagement ring. It seemed like ages away when he had asked her to marry him.

Zelda nodded, just noticing her niece standing in the door frame. “Sabrina”, she remarked, jumping from the table.

The little girl smiled, her eyes travelling over her Aunt. “Are we going to watch Disney movies tonight, Aunt Zee?” That was their usual routine, and the little girl's favourite past time. Apart from casting spells, naturally. A habit Diana immensely disliked already.

Last Thanksgiving Sabrina has almost smashes the entirety of plates in her grandmother’s house, resulting in Zelda giggling and Edward sighing, while Diana had lost her temper for the first time since they had known her. Zelda had never expected her to get _this_ furious over a little spellcasting.

Faustus laughed, picking Sabrina up and resting her in his arms. The girl had only ever known him as her uncle, even when Zelda and him had not been married yet. “Of course we are”, he replied, exchanging a quick glance with his wife.

Actually Zelda hated Disney movies, but for her niece she was willing to make an exception. Usually she fell asleep anyway, curled up against Faustus’ shoulder and her niece sitting on her lap. At some point Sabrina usually woke her up, normally when the movie had already ended. “You missed the ending, Aunt Zee”, she had said the last time when they had watched The Little Mermaid, pouting and actually looking rather distressed.

Zelda ran a hand through Sabrina’s blonde curls. “Which one would you like to watch?” she asked, smiling as her niece’s eyes lightened up.

“Frozen!” the little girl replied, clapping her hands. It was her favourite movie of all time, and she even sang along to the songs. Especially let it go, naturally.

Internally Zelda sighed, but in front of her niece she just smiled and nodded.

Faustus chuckled a little, letting Sabrina down and watching her run into the living room to start the TV. “She’s never getting tired of this movie, is she?” he asked, shaking his head. “Praise the mortal who produced this film.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, huffing slightly as he pressed a kiss onto her hair. “I hate that ending”, she whispered, so Sabrina wouldn’t hear in the living room. Now was not the best time to start a lengthy discussion with a five year old.

Her husband raised a brow. “Why? Anna gets saved by Elsa.” He shrugged. “I think it’s sweet.”

Something about the fact that he even knew the names of the characters by heart, let alone the ending, made her grin. “I wasn’t aware you were a Disney expert”, Zelda teased him, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking up to him. His eyes were so dark they seemed almost black, and each time she wondered how that was possible.

Faustus smirked, letting his hands run down her lower back. “I still love you”, he breathed against her lips, placing a quick kiss there. “Although you hate Frozen.”

She huffed, letting go of him and biting her lip to hide the smile.

“Aunt Zee!” Sabrina yelled from the living room. “Uncle Faustus, come on!”

The two of them exchanged a quick look, Faustus smiling and Zelda rolling her eyes. She might have just went with it, if the phone did not rang just this particular second. “I’ll take it”, she told Faustus, walking through the empty house into the hallway.

Something about the phone ringing made her feel anxious, almost alarmed. It was no more than a hunch, an idea that something was about to happen. Slowly she picked the phone up. “Zelda Spellman”, she said into the line. Her own voice sounded hollow.

“Miss Spellman, I apologize for the late interruption”, it was one of the men from the Council, _her_ Council. But they had just met this morning, there was no reason to call.

Zelda frowned, steadying herself against the wall. “Did something happen?” she wanted to know.

On the other hand someone cleared his throat. “I am afraid so.”

 

Faustus looked up from the film when Zelda came back into the living room, already sensing that something was not quite alright. He knew her well enough after all these years, knew how to read her face like an open book. Now she was even more pale than usual, all the colour having drained from her skin.

He patted Sabrina’s head quickly, the little girl totally occupied with the movie, and stood up from the sofa. “What happened?” he asked his wife, reaching for her hand.

Zelda bit her lip, the way she always did. Her eyes were resting on Sabrina. “The Church of Shadows has been attacked by witch hunters”, she muttered, quietly enough to not disturb her niece. “The Council called to inform me.” Her glance shifted restlessly through the room.

“Do you need to leave?” Faustus asked, although his grip around her hand intensified. Witch hunters were nothing to take on lightly, especially not with modern day technology.

She looked up at him, worry clouding her green eyes. “Most of the witches and warlocks are already dead.” Zelda sighed. “There’s not much I can do now.”

Faustus was about to interfere, reassure her that there was nothing she _could_ have done, but Sabrina’s voice interrupted them. “Are you not going to watch?” she asked, sounding so offended that he almost had to laugh.

Zelda’s face softened a little, and she sat down next to the little girl. “Of course we are.” She shot her husband a quick look, signalling him to drop the topic for tonight. “I’ll deal with the Council tomorrow”, she whispered in Faustus’ direction, who nodded. Softly his hand ran down his wife’s back, before he leaned back and watched the movie screen for a moment.

But his gaze kept drifting back to Zelda, who was trying really hard to pay attention to Frozen. She hated this movie, he knew she did, just as any other Disney movie. But for her niece she would do next to anything, so she just sat in silence and stared onto the screen. He could almost hear her thinking, though, and she seemed everything but relaxed. Something else must have happened, something she had deliberately not told him about the phone call. Who cared about a few dead witches from another coven? There must be something else she got so worked up about.

Usually Zelda was the first one to fall asleep, but today it was Sabrina. The little girl curled up against her Aunt and was sleeping before the final part of the movie even began, so Faustus picked her up and tucked her into bed. When he came back into the living room Zelda was gone, and he noticed with a sigh that she was sitting outside on the stairs into the front yard.

The smoke of a cigarette was rising into the air, and he could see her fingers shaking a little when she held onto it. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” he wanted to know, sitting down next to her.

Zelda reached for his hand, silently intertwining their fingers. “The High Priest of the Church of Shadows was killed. The witch hunters murdered him and about twenty others. Burned down the Academy building. Destroyed their Satanic papers and books.” She drew on her cigarette. “The Council wants to send some warlocks from our coven to Riverdale to investigate, find out where the hunters have disappeared.” Her voice grew very silent. “So we aren’t next.”

Immediately Faustus felt the tension rise within himself, even at the mere thought of something happening to Zelda. Not that he would ever let anyone touch her, but he could not be watching over her 24 hours a day… “I won’t let anything happen to you”, he replied, and it sounded like a promise.

She huffed, rolling her eyes. “I can take care of myself, thank you.” Carefully she tapped off the excess ash of her cigarette. “I will have to pay the Church of Shadows a visit I suppose.” She sighed at the thought. “See who is fit to lead them now that they don’t have a High Priest.”

Faustus frowned. He did not like this idea at all. “What do you want to visit, the empty ruins of their Academy?” The witch hunters had hardly left anything behind. Usually they were quick and precise, leaving no traces.

His wife shot him a half-angry look. “I have to do something, I can’t just ignore it like nothing has happened.” She stood up from the stairs, letting the cigarette disappear from her hands. Somewhere inside the house, it would reappear in one of the ashtrays. “Besides, if I can find anything the hunters have left behind I can track them.” She said it as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

“Zelda, these people are dangerous”, he reminded her, still holding her hand. Now he pulled her closer, resting his hand on her back. “You can not draw their attention to you!”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I can, and I will!” Her eyes were filled with pure determination. “I will track them down, bind them, kill them.”

This spirit had been the exact reason he had fallen in love with Zelda all those years ago, right when he had met her for the first time, but in moments like these he wished she would make more rational decisions sometimes. She was the High Priestess, the person who would most likely be in the cross hairs anyway. But she wouldn’t listen, not right now anyway. Damn Satan for her stubbornness. “Talk that through with the Council”, he told her instead of starting a discussion, running his fingers through her hair. “They surely know what to do.” The members were all about 200 years old, they had seen a number of witch hunters come and go.

To his surprise Zelda shrugged in agreement, leaning into his embrace a little more. “First thing tomorrow”, she ensured him, smiling lightly. “You look at me like I already signed my own death certificate!”

Faustus huffed, kissing her cheek. “I won’t let that happen, you know that.”

Her hands wrapped around his neck when Zelda laughed, green eyes sparkling in the darkness of the yard. “We should go to bed”, she suggested.

He could see in her expression that she had very well realized what he had meant with those words, but was choosing to ignore them. Still, after four years of marriage and over ten years before that, sometimes he felt like Zelda was pulling away. Like she was keeping one foot in the backdoor, prepared to flee anytime something might happen.

But then the shadow on her face was gone, and her eyes were gleaming carelessly. She ran her hands over his neck. “Can we go?” she repeated the question. “I’m starting to get cold.”

Faustus placed a kiss on top of her head, before opening the front door and leading her inside.

With the thread of witch hunters, perhaps now was not the best time to question his marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some people wanted a sequel and i love this story too much to let this go so here it is; this is one of my one shots extended and slightly edited, just in case you're wondering <3


	2. The Other Side

Edward was walking through the halls of the Academy of Unseen Arts, passing some of his students who were carrying books and chatting carelessly. Some of them looked up and glanced at him, greeting or friendly nodding their heads when recognizing their teacher. Occasionally they also noticed the man next to him, who was unfamiliar to the Church of Night. Indeed Edward had known Michael before, but not seen him for decades until he had stood at his doorstep earlier this morning, having escaped from the massacre at the Church of Shadows. And now he was here, ready to speak to the High Priestess.

Michael took the word, still marvelling at the Academy’s decadent architecture. “So your sister”, he began, attempting to sound only mildly interested in the topic. “How did she become High Priestess?”

Edward sighed internally, the memories of the test still being very present in his mind. Since the day she had been crowned, Zelda had revolutionized the Church of Night. Half of her Council were female now. And whenever she travelled to Europe to make agreements with other covens, she came back successfully. She really had a way of convincing people. Especially men, even with that giant diamond on her finger.

“She has a way of getting what she wants”, Edward said to answer the question, leading the other warlock down the hallways which lead to Zelda’s office.

Michael raised an eyebrow, but stopped digging. Instead he knocked on the door, waiting for Zelda’s voice to call the two of them inside.

Edward was surprised to see his sister sitting at the edge of her desk, legs crossed and papers in her hands. Her glance shot up when they entered, eyes immediately digging into the foreign warlock. She wore the same look of suspicion as usual. “Brother”, she noted, but never looking at him. “And who are you?” It sounded hardly friendly.

But the other warlock ignored the cool undertone in Zelda’s voice. “I am from the Church of Shadows”, he responded, tilting his head respectfully. “My name is Michael.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow, looking over at her brother for barely a second. Then she smiled a reserved smile. “Welcome”, she replued, but her expression said something else entirely. During the last years, Zelda had learned to control her temper a little, which was rather fortunate. _Especially_ since Michael was staring at her like he wanted to undress her every second.

Then again, this was the usual reaction. Whatever Zelda had done inside the maze, it had changed her. An aura of power seemed to whirl around her, something which almost made her glow at every second. She was radiating magic.

Edward cleared his throat. “Michael wishes to speak to the Council on behalf of the witches and warlocks of his coven”, he informed his sister.

Zelda gave a shrug, slipping down from the edge of the desk. Then she lit a cigarette, naturally without touching a lighter. Pyrokinesis came in handy here. The sudden appearance of a flame made Michael flinch a little. “Go ahead”, she said, eyes back on the warlock.

Somehow, Edward felt like there was something she was holding back. He knew her well enough for that. But Zelda never shared her schemes or plots, not with Edward at least. She only ever spoke to Faustus about such matters. Sometimes he envied him. “Perhaps the Council can get together now”, Edward offered.   
  
His sister’s eyes were cool and empty, a slight smile curling around her lips. “The Council is otherwise occupied right now.” Obviously this was not a statement one should argue against. “Perhaps in the evening.”

For some reason he had a _really_ bad feeling about this. What had Zelda done this time? Edward was about to speak up, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Only a second later the door was opened, and Faustus stepped inside.

His eyes drifted to Zelda immediately, and they moved with each other other barely noticeable, his fingers softly brushing her arm before he stood next to her. It was something Edward had never quite understood about those two, the way they seemed to gravitate towards each other like magnets and how they took over the entire room by simply sharing a look.

Like they did right now. Zelda was glaring at Faustus, her eyes speaking a language only he could understand. He nodded merely, before turning to Michael. “I don’t believe we have met so far”, he noticed. “Faustus Blackwood.”   
  
Edward was aware that the two of them had some sort of plan, were running something no one else was supposed to know about. Probably his sister’s idea. She had always had a tendency to come up with reckless plans.

Michael introduced himself, probably also noting the firm look Faustus gave him whenever he dared to look at Zelda. At some point he just kept staring at the floor.

Before the situation got anymore out of hand, Zelda took the word. “My husband and I would like a moment in private.” She shot her brother a sharp look. “You will be approached by the Council later today.”

“Thank you, your Excellency”, Michael replied swiftly, turning around to leave. His eyebrows had shot up when Zelda had said the word _husband,_ his gaze dropping to the huge ring on her finger.

Edward followed him outside, not quite as enthusiastically.

But if your sister was the High Priestess, you needed to follow her orders.

 

Faustus’ eyes captured her the moment the door fell shut. “Did you see the way he looked at you?” His tone was pressed, but when he reached for her hands the touch was gentle. He drew her in closer, pressing a kiss to her neck.

Zelda let herself be pushed against the desk, leaning against the wood. “I noticed”, she replied, smiling a little. She was of course aware she had a certain effect on men, especially when they saw her for the first time. Besides, her powers were growing. The Dark Lord was very generous with her. “I didn’t expect you to be back this early”, she added, wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck.

He huffed, kissing her lightly on the lips. “The Academy is completely destroyed.” His fingers were playing with Zelda’s engagement ring, a subconscious habit he had gotten used to whenever their hands were intertwined. “We didn’t find anything in the ruins.”

Disappointment rose within her. _The plan had been so good._ Find some remains of the witch hunters, use a tracking spell to find them, get rid of them. Faustus and her would have done it together, as the team they always were. Zelda bit her lip, sighing.

Faustus’ free hand was drawing circles on her back, under the silk of her blouse. “The Council wants to know what the new plan is.”

Zelda sighed. They always wanted to know everything. Just like her brother. Her eyes locked with her husband’s, and she kissed him for a moment. His teeth dug into her bottom lip, and for a second she felt like there was no one else in the world.

But of course there was, and Faustus was not as good at pretending as her. He broke awake, letting go of her hand and lifting her chin a little. “Why didn’t you tell Edward about all of this?” He knew the answer, the way he always knew what she was thinking – or plotting, for that matter – but he asked all the same.

“He doesn’t need to know”, she replied, as matter-of-factly as it was. “Edward would just try to stop me.”

Faustus raised a brow. “Stop you from _what_?” He pulled her a little closer against him. “You’re not going to go against the witch hunters on your own.” It was phrased as a statement, but his tone was questionable. Like he wanted to make sure.

She smirked a little. “Of course not.” They were a team, they always had been. “We’re doing this together, like we said.” Fairly enough, the plan was no more than a rough draft yet and could definitely use some work, but this aspect was clear.

He looked hardly convinced. “They will do research about the covens, Zelda. They will know who you are.” His fingers were tracing her skin of her neck. “It’s too dangerous.” Something in his voice was pleading, the same sort of tone he had used when she had demanded to take the test ten years ago. Back then everything had worked out.

And now she was the most powerful witch in the world. The only female High Priestess. The Dark Lord had seen fit to bless her. “ _I_ am the High Priestess”, she replied, perhaps more sharp than she had to be. “This is my responsibility.”

Faustus sighed, his dark eyes full of sorrow. Maybe even a little hurt. “They will come for you first”, he argued, shaking his head. “And how long do you think they need from Riverdale to come here?”

This was a really tedious discussion. “They can’t get inside the Academy!” Zelda argued. The protection spells she had painted all around the property definitely did their job well enough. No mortal could pass them.

“But you don’t stay in here, you plan to go after them”, he responded, clenching his jaw. Both of them knew that there was no talking her out of this.   
  
Instead Zelda smiled mildly, leaning her forehead against his. “We do this together.” _We are the only two people in the world._ If she trusted anyone, it was Faustus. Besides, they were the best witches in the coven. The witch hunters had no idea what was coming for them.

He kissed her cheek, lifting her up to sit on the desk. Their eyes met, and he nodded. “Everything for you”, he replied quietly. Then he kissed her, as heated and passionate as ever.

Zelda wrapped her legs around him, pressing her body closer. With a quick look she locked the office door, letting the key turn around itself. “I love you”, she breathed against his lips.

He ran a hand through her hair, before unbuttoning her blouse. The silk fabric scrapped across her skin when he got her out of it. “I love _you”_ , he whispered, kissing her again. “So much more than you can imagine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> be prepared for some drama in the next one! i hope you like this <3


	3. Misbelieving

The next two days were hours and hours of Council meetings, the witches and warlocks from the Church of Shadows all telling what had happened followed by endless discussions and fights what to do. Zelda had sat through those sessions mostly in silence, ever keeping her own plan hidden from the rest of the coven.

In the end they had decided to send people after the witch hunters, although only for spying and not attacking yet. _The threat needed to be evaluated_ _first,_ one of the new witches from the Council had said, the one Zelda had appointed the new chairman. She was young, smart, and incredibly loyal to the Dark Lord, which made her the perfect candidate. Besides she was a woman, which made her a lot easier to deal with.

Faustus had been dealing with the rest of the Academy in the meantime, managing students as well as teaching. After all he was her second in command.

It was a dark night when Zelda returned to the Blackwood mansion, rain and wind pouring down onto Greendale. She teleported right into the yard, walking upstairs to the front door and made the lock open. Who needed keys if you were a witch?   
  
She slipped into the house, which seemed empty and abandoned. Barely a candle was lit. Somehow, this was very unlike Faustus. With a quick flick of her wrist Zelda made the candles along the walls light up, its flames throwing shadows onto the wooden floors. “Faustus?” she asked into the silence, checking his office whether he was there. It was empty.

Then suddenly she noticed the running of water upstairs in the bathroom. He must be taking a shower.

She walked into the empty kitchen, the raindrops on the roof being the only sound audible. Sighing Zelda sat down on the kitchen table, leaning back in her chair. This was indeed quite odd. Usually he would wait until she came back to take a shower. She lit herself a cigarette, staring out the window into the rainy night. It was a new moon she suddenly noticed.

Merely ten minutes later Faustus walked into the room, hair still wet and full of little water droplets. He noticed the whiskey Zelda had poured herself, grabbing a glass himself and filling it.

She could not quite shake the feeling that something was wrong. He barely even looked at her, let alone say anything. “Is everything alright?” she asked into the silence, nipping on her glass. Usually she could read it in his face, every emotion he felt, but today it was just empty. She felt uneasy just looking at him.

Faustus chucked his whiskey down in one sip, pushing the glass away and running a hand through his hair. “I need to-” he broke off mid-sentence, staring at her like he had just realized she was sitting in his kitchen. “Nevermind”, he corrected himself, turning around and storming off.

Zelda furrowed her brows, quickly getting up and following him into the hallway. “What’s wrong?” she tried again, causing him to at least stop running away from her. Honestly, she had a really bad feeling about this. “You’re hiding something from me”, she noted. So much was obvious by now. What had become of their wedding vow? _No lying, not ever._ She felt sick.

He clenched his jaw, turning around to face her. His eyes were even darker than usual. The candlelight reflected grimly. But he didn’t say a word.

Zelda could see how he debated with himself what to say, which lie to choose. “I can tell when you lie to me”, she said, crossing her arms before her chest. She meant it.

Again, he ran a hand through his hair. His fingers were shaking. “Listen, Zelda.” Something about the way he said her name was not right. He approached her, but stopped himself a few paces away. “I am _so_ sorry, I never meant for this to happen.”

Nothing of this was making any sense. She cleared her throat. “What are you talking about?” In some way she knew it already. Read it in his face, the way his jaw clenched, his brows furrowed. The way his dark eyes shone. _I am so sorry._ She pushed the thoughts away, forcing herself to look him directly in the eyes.

Her husband took a deep breath. “Remember when you were in Europe?”

Zelda nodded very slowly. She had spent a few weeks in France during the summer, catching up with some High Priests she had not seen in a long time. By now she knew exactly what he was about to tell her. But no word came out of her mouth.

“I was lonely”, he began, now staring at the floor in front of him. “So I… slept with someone else.”

A long silence followed, Zelda feeling the words like ice running through her veins. Suddenly she was very cold. Although there was this haunting feeling that he was not done speaking yet. Her throat felt so dry that speaking was impossible. _He had promised her._ Before the wedding. He had promised her, no other women. Otherwise she never would have said yes in the first place.

He glanced up to her now, probably checking whether she was about to throw a curse at him every second. When he was sure she would not, he continued. “It didn’t mean anything, I didn’t even know her name, it was a one time thing…”

None of the words made it any better. Zelda felt something like tears burning in her eyes, but she forced them back. Not now.

Because sadly, he was not done yet. “But she came up to me today”, his voice almost chocked. “I have no idea how it happened, she-” Faustus ran his hand through the mess of black hair on his head again. “She told me that she is pregnant.”

That was the moment her world exploded. Barely a second later the chandelier crashed down onto the floor, just centimeters next to him.

Faustus gasped in surprise. “Zelda”, he began, but she cut him off.

“You’re telling me you impregnated the woman?” A vase flew through the air, missing his head only closely. Suddenly she wished she had hit him with the chandelier.

He looked properly horrified. “I didn’t mean for it to happen”, he argued, walking over the shards of the chandelier towards her. “Zelda, I promise, I didn’t!”

Did it make a difference? “You promised”, she replied, her voice giving her away. She felt the tears rising again. “Why do you think I married you? Not so you could run around and bed every woman in the coven!” She was yelling by now, voice shaking. But it didn’t make her feel any better.

In his defence, he really did look sorry. He reached out for her hands, but she moved away. Now he was properly hurt.

Honestly, Zelda didn’t even care about the pregnancy. The witch should have her baby, as long as no one ever found out it would be no difference. And Zelda would make sure nobody ever did. The betrayal was much worse. The knowledge that he had cheated on her, _again._ “How many times since we’re married?” she asked suddenly, forcing herself to look into his eyes. Her hands were shaking.

Faustus swallowed hard. “Zelda.” Nothing had ever sounded more sad than him saying her name in this moment.

But she ignored it. “How many?” she repeated. She had to know. No matter how much it would hurt.

“A couple”, he replied, pressing his lips together tightly. “I never meant to hurt you.” It sounded like a weak excuse. Next thing he knew, another vase almost hit him. “In Satan’s name, Zelda!” he exclaimed. “Are you trying to kill me?”   
  
Oh how she wished she could… “A couple times?” she repeated, voice echoing through the empty house. Outside the storm was howling. “You _promised_ me it would never happen again!” She felt herself burning with rage. Anger was so much better than pain. Anger made her feel furious, alive, instead of numb.

Faustus sighed. “I love you, I never meant for this to happen!”   
  
What he truly meant was that he had never meant for her to find out. So much was clear to Zelda. And those were just empty words. How could he love her but disregard everything they had sworn each other when they had gotten married? She took a deep breath, feeling the tears rising up again. _Don’t fall apart right now._

He seemed to sense something, since he tried approaching her again. “I promise I will take care of this, you won’t ever hear something of it again!” It sounded genuine. His voice was much more calm and collected than Zelda’s.

The first tears ran down her cheeks, and she turned away. “What are your promises worth anymore?” she whispered, but knowing he had understood just fine.

For a second the pouring rain was the only sound in the house. Somewhere a raven was screaming in agony. Then a loud crack, like lightning hitting a tree. Outside one of the big oak trees was split in half. Perhaps a satanic omen.

Zelda looked up at Faustus, who was standing in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by glass shards. She had never liked that chandelier. “I’m leaving”, she said silently, feeling more tears streaming over her face.

Without waiting for an answer she teleported away, right into the kitchen in the Spellman house. Fortunately it was late enough for no one to be here, and so she grabbed herself a bottle of scotch and sank down into one of the kitchen chairs. The alcohol burned her throat when she took a large sip directly from the bottle, but it left her feeling warm. But she was still crying, more and more tears running.

Just in this moment the door was opened and her sister came tapping in, wearing an oversize pyjama and a messy bun. She flinched when seeing Zelda, obviously surprised to see her. “Hey Zelds”, she said with a weak smile, noticing her tears even in the dim light. “Did something happen?”

Zelda took another sip of scotch. “I think my marriage is over”, she muttered. She felt dizzy already. Outside thunder was growling.

Hilda tilted her head a little, sitting down on the table as well. “Always a little dramatic, aren’t we?” she asked, nervously glancing over to the window. “I can’t sleep because of the storm.”   
For a moment Zelda considered, then she snipped and made two glasses appear. She poured some Scotch into them, pushing one of them over to her sister. “Drink”, she commanded, raising her own glass to her lips.

Hilda stared at the brownish liquid for a moment, before slowly nodding and nipping on her drink. Immediately she made a face, coughing a little. In Satan’s name, she needed a lot of work. “What is that?” she asked, pushing the glass away from herself.

Zelda shrugged, finishing Hilda’s drink as well. By now she hardly cared anymore.

“So”, her sister began, wringing her hands. “What happened that made you sit in the kitchen during the night and drink alcohol straight from the bottle?”

Actually she had not planned on telling this, but the Scotch had somehow loosened her tongue. “Faustus apparently cheated on me”, Zelda replied, voice sounding as dead and empty as she felt right now. “And now one of his conquests is with child.” She raised the glass to herself, before chucking the liquid down. Then she lit herself a cigarette, ignoring her sister’s worried looks.

Hilda was biting her lip. “I’m sorry, Zelds”, she responded quietly. “But maybe he has an explanation why he did it”, she offered. Hilda was always the one who gave the reasonable advice. Not that Zelda wanted to hear it in this moment. “He loves you, everyone knows that.”

“He has an odd way of showing that”, Zelda muttered into her glass, putting it down and drawing on her cigarette. By now she felt properly dizzy. Half the bottle was empty already. She planned to finish the rest as well, just to be sure.

Just in this moment another tree was hit by lightning, and Hilda flinched visibly. “I hate thunderstorms”, she exclaimed. “Can’t you make it go away?”

Zelda sighed. She probably could, if she were not extremely drunk and heartbroken. Her eyes drifted to the ring on her finger, and out of a sudden impulse she took it off. The diamond sparkled when she put it down on the table. Then she took another sip of Scotch. “Not tonight, Hilda”, she replied dully. “Not tonight.” She stood up, taking a moment to regain her balance. Obviously the alcohol did its job.

Her sister eyed her worryingly, watching Zelda get rid of the bottle and glasses with a flick of her wrist. “You should talk to Faustus again”, Hilda argued, attempting a smile. “And put the ring back on, Zelds.”

Zelda shot her a deadly look, reaching for the ring and leaving the kitchen. To be fair, she had some problems getting upstairs as dizzy as she felt, but this was not the first time for her so she managed. When she slipped the ring back on it felt foreign, like it had been gone for ages. Not just minutes.

She was still feeling dizzy when she curled up in her bed, which was all cold and empty. Usually she laid here with Faustus. Then she closed her eyes, and the world started spinning. She turned around, facing the window. The alcohol made her feel sleepy, but she was too dizzy to actually fall asleep. And so she watched the raindrops running over her window glass, until the Greendale church stroke witching hour. Then she feel asleep, and dreamed of chandeliers, scotch and broken hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you think is gonna happen next? <3


	4. Bury

It was 10am when Zelda woke up in the morning, with a horrible headache and the realization that she should have been at he Academy two hours ago. She sighed, lighting herself a cigarette and slipping out of her bed. Sleeping alone was not for her anymore. Since she was already late, there was no sense in hurrying anymore. The Council would be able to run things by themselves until midday.

She had just left her room and walked into the upstairs hallway, when the sound of the doorbell rang through the house. Instantly she held back, hiding within the shadows but with a good angle to watch the door.   
Hilda came and opened, with wet hair and in her dressing gown. She blushed when she saw who was standing outside. Faustus, of course.

Zelda pressed herself tighter against the wall, somehow fearing he might sense her presence in the room and notice her. She was half tempted to throw another vase at his face.

“Good morning”, Hilda greeted, smiling uneasily, just in the moment when Edward came into the hallway. He was fully dressed already, wearing his usual shirt and trousers.

When he noticed Faustus, his eyebrows arched upwards. “Since when do you not just teleport inside?” He stopped, eyeing the other warlock intensely.

Zelda bit her lip, hoping that her brother would just stop asking questions and leave. She didn’t need any marriage advice from Edward.

Faustus looked even more uncomfortable than Zelda felt, running a hand through his hair. “Is Zelda here?” he asked, entirely ignoring anything someone else had just said.

But that made Edward only all the more curious. “I thought she was with you?” He glanced over to Hilda, like he was trying to find out whether she knew anything.

Zelda was praying to the Dark Lord that her sister might keep her mouth shut. But Satan was not on her side today.

“I think she’s still asleep”, Hilda replied, shrugging lightly. “She had a bottle of Scotch by herself last night.”   
  
Zelda was already planning how to drag her sister’s body into the Cain Pit. Could she not shut up for _once_ in her life? Just in this moment Faustus glanced up to her, eyes resting on the spot were she was hiding. Something about this look told her enough that she knew he was aware she was there, and she pressed herself closer against the wall in response. How had he noticed so quickly?

Edward was muttering something downstairs which sounded a lot like _if you hurt my sister I’m going to curse you,_ which for Zelda was the sign that she should interfere.

Quickly she hurried downstairs, painfully aware that she was wearing nothing but a nightgown which did not do much to cover anything. “I’ll handle this myself, thank you brother”, she greeted, shooting Edward a meaningful look.

He pressed his lips together, but nodded and left the room.

Hilda hurried behind him, turning around one last time to give her sister an encouraging smile.

Faustus was stepping into the hallway now, eyes never leaving her. He was cautious, obviously expecting something else thrown in his face.

“What do you want?” Zelda asked, crossing her arms. She was freezing, it was the middle of February and definitely too cold for standing around in a nightgown.

He sighed, approaching her carefully. “Can we talk? Without things flying around.” His glance shifted to the large floor vase in the corner of the room. He was probably wondering whether that thing could kill him or not.

Zelda had considered the same earlier, but come to the conclusion the worst which could happen would be _seriously injuring._ Perhaps later. “What is there to talk about?” she replied, pressing her lips together. Even seeing him hurt. All she wanted was to throw herself into his arms, listening to his excuses and believe all of them. But she had been there before, and apparently people never quite changed.

Her husband looked genuinely hurt by now. “You haven’t left me a chance to explain yesterday!” Now he was almost accusing.

She raised an eyebrow. “Explain how you did the one thing I asked you not to?” She shook her head. “You promised me, no more other women.” It hurt even more when said out loud. “But if you can’t do that, there is no reason for us to be married anymore, is there?” Even Zelda herself was surprised by how cold her voice sounded.

Faustus stared at her like she had gone crazy. “ _What?_ ” He took another step in her direction. “I told you already, it didn’t mean anything!”   
  
“Then why even do it?” she returned the question. Because that had been on her mind since she first time they had dealt with this topic. _Why._ It was the thing which bothered her the most, perhaps.

His expression changed for a brief second, and he turned away slightly. Like he didn’t want to tell her. “It’s not what you think”, he replied vaguely.

Slowly she was losing her patience. It wasn’t one of her stronger attributes, anyway. “Then explain”, she demanded. _Otherwise this relationship doesn’t make sense._ She never said the words out loud.

Faustus sighed. “It’s you”, he eventually answered. “Whenever you’re gone on some trip to Satan knows where I’m here alone and I just feel so… lonely without you. Like a part of me is missing.”   
She glared at him in surprise, suddenly out of words. This had _not_ been what she had expected to hear.

“I can’t live without you anymore.” His eyes were pleading. “And even a week without you is too long. I just try to… fill this emptiness within me.”

Under normal circumstances Zelda would have said that this was clearly a lie to calm her down, to explain the cheating away in the most cheesy way possible, but something about the way he looked at her told her otherwise. She knew him, knew when he was lying. And he was totally honest with her right now. Suddenly, the intenseness of the words scared her. _I can’t live without you anymore._ She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What did one even respond to that?

Faustus seemed to have come to the same conclusion, since he continued talking. “I’m sorry if I hurt you and in Satan’s name I am _so_ sorry about the… other thing.” He closed his eyes for a second. “I took care of it. You won’t ever hear of it again.”

Zelda hoped he had not gone to any drastic measures, but simply sent the woman away. But she didn’t dare to ask. “Good”, she said instead. Just that.

Her husband frowned, eyeing her carefully. Like he was still expecting something else to come.

She was playing with the ring on her finger. “I can’t just forgive you like this.” It physically hurt to say the words, to even think about such a thing as being alone again. But how could she trust him? If he played with his promises like this. Especially since she also knew that he would have never told her if the other witch hadn’t fallen pregnant.

Faustus sighed, running a hand through his hair. “What can I do?” he asked.

“Stop sleeping around for a change”, Zelda muttered, voice sounding rather grim. She had meant to say something else, but just in this second the phone rang.

Her husband sighed, giving her a look which very clearly said _don’t answer right now._

But she was the High Priestess, and they had a witch hunter threat, and on top of all that she had not showed up at the Academy yet. For all she knew her Council thought her dead. And so she picked the phone up, feeling Faustus’ eyes following her every move. “Zelda Spellman”, she said into the line.

On the other end Marie began talking, the young witch who was Zelda’ head of the Council right now. She talked much too fast to understand every word, but the message was clear. Zelda heard the words _witch hunters_ and _Greendale._

“What is it?” Faustus urged, suddenly standing next to her. When had he gotten so close?   
  
Marie interrupted herself, catching her breath. “You need to come into the woods, your Excellency!” She made a pause, like she was hesitating. “There is something you need to see.”

Zelda frowned slightly, quickly ensuring the other witch that she would be there in no time. Then she hang up. “I need to go”, she told Faustus. It was not even a lie.

But she knew what he would say next before he had even opened his mouth. “I’ll come with you.” _Of course._ He looked at her as worried as if the witch hunters might come barking into the house any second. Like he was ready to throw himself in front of her.

“Definitely not”, Zelda disagreed, already on her way to the door. “You have classes to teach at the Academy.”

Her husband rolled his eyes, reaching the front door before her and opening it. “I wasn’t asking”, he replied firmly. There was iron determination in his eyes.

Zelda bit her lip, shooting him a deadly stare. She wouldn’t get rid of him anyway. Even if she teleported away, he might just as well use a tracking spell. The only person more stubborn than herself might be her husband. Fantastic.

“What did Marie say?” Faustus tried to establish some conversation, but Zelda ignored him. She hadn’t forgiven him, nothing had changed. She just needed to work right now.

The other Council members had assembled at a clearing inside the Greendale woods, the spot were their Dark Baptism usually took place. Only today the altar was empty, and around it a trail of dead bodies was stacked. They were assembled in the shape of a pentagram.

Zelda took a deep breath. They were all witches and warlocks, some from her coven and some from the Church of Shadows. She recognized Michael as one of them. A shiver ran down her spine. She felt Faustus’ hand on her back, and she was suddenly grateful he had come with her. Although she hated him a little right now.

Marie came hurried over to her, eyes full of panic. “Your Excellency”, she said quickly, tilting her head respectfully. “Twenty witches and warlocks are dead.” She looked around herself. “All low ranking members of this coven or survivors from the previous massacre.”

Her eyes told another story.

“What else?” Zelda asked, knowing that there _had_ to be something else.

The younger witch made a gesture indicating the two others to follow her, leading them up to the altar. Words were written onto the wood, in the scarlet colour of blood. _We are coming for you._ Above that a little doll was lying, similar to a woodoo doll. She had strands of blonde hair, and a small sign was sowed to her chest. It said _High Priestess._

Zelda felt Faustus tense beside her, glancing over to Marie who was looking like she might faint any second. “Give instructions for the Council to assemble within the Academy. All the students are staying in, no one leaves the building.” Zelda felt like her own voice was not hers anymore.

The other witch nodded quickly, turning around on her heel and hurrying away.

Faustus reached for Zelda’s hand, pulling her back into reality. “You need to leave”, he said, eyes full of concern. “They’re coming for you.”

She moved away swiftly, breaking the physical contact. This was hardly the time. “What I need to do is find these mortals and get rid of them once and for all”, she replied, careful not to step too close to the dead bodies. They would need to burn them soon, once everyone was identified. And she needed to put a protection spell on the Spellman house as well.

Her husband seemed to disagree. “It’s too dangerous”, he insisted. “I beg you, Zelda, listen to me only once!”   
She shot him an angry look. “You lost that chance when you cheated on me _repeatedly”_ , she said coldly, turning around to him. “You don’t get to decide what I do or not do.”

“Zelda”, he began, but she had already teleported away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drama is coming, what do you think is gonna happen? <3


	5. Silent Running

Faustus felt anxiety running through him when he opened the door to Edward Spellman’s office. The room was bright and full of white furniture, the floor covered with little Sabrina’s toys and her paintings plastered all over the walls. The girl really had a way with colour.

Edward was sitting behind his desk, sipping coffee and grading tests from the looks of it. When he noticed his brother-in-law, he put the paper down. “Oh, hello. I have been wondering where you and my sister had been all day.” He frowned a little. “Did you reconcile?”

 _Not exactly._ Faustus closed the door behind himself. He was not here for small talk. “We need to discuss some things”, he declared, sitting down across from Edward on the free chair. “Just listen to me and don’t interrupt while I explain, alright?” He knew that he would be interrupted anyway, patience was not something which ran strongly in the Spellman family.

Edward raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think I have time-”

“It’s about Zelda!” Faustus interrupted. “Her safety.” They were running out of time. Once she tracked down the witch hunters, it would be too late.

The other warlock sighed, gesturing him to continue. “Fine”, Edward muttered. “Go ahead.”

Faustus took a deep breath. “This morning, Zelda got a phone call. Twenty witches and warlocks have been found dead in the woods, butchered by the witch hunters.” It had not been a pretty sight at all. He had seen the look in Zelda’s eyes, the horror paired with her immediate thought that she had not been there to protect her coven. _Because she had been busy sorting out her marriage._ “They are in Greendale now.”   
A frown appeared on Edward’s face. “Why didn’t Zelda tell me?” he wanted to know with visible confusion.

Faustus sighed. “Because she is convinced that she can deal with this threat on her own. Actually she wanted us to track the hunters down and kill them together, but-” he paused. How could he explain the sudden change of mind? He was not eager to be cursed by Edward right now. “We had a fight, and now she wants to go after them alone.”

Unfortunately, Edward was not as quick to catch up as Faustus had hoped. “A fight about what?”

Like that would matter right now. He sighed. “None of your concern”, he replied defensively. This was not something he wished to elaborate on, ever.

But in typical Spellman fashion, Edward did not take the hint. “If you want my help with something – which I assume you do – I need to know the entire story”, he replied, smirking wickedly.

Sometimes he really was a lot like Zelda. Faustus cleared his throat. “Well, there were some misunderstandings regarding… monogamy.”

Edward huffed. “You cheated on her.” It was a simple conclusion, no question.

Still, he felt the need to at least nod in acknowledgement. If only that had never happened. He felt horrible about it, the entire situation. But he could not, in any circumstance ever, let Zelda go through with his plan she had made up. “She hardly speaks to me anymore”, he continued, not wanting to waste anymore time. “But she witch hunters will go after her first, try to weaken the coven. They left a message and a doll behind in the woods, one which said High Priestess.” His eyes met Edward’s. “They are coming for her.”

The other warlock frowned more deeply, playing with a random pen lying on the desk. He appeared nervous. “Zelda won’t change her mind”, he replied. “Not in a million years, you know how she is.” There was a short pause. “Better than anyone else, probably.”   
  
Oh yes, he knew how his wife got. Once she wanted something, she went through with it. Faustus nodded slowly. “Which is why we need to get her out of Greendale.” This was where the plan started.

Edward raised a brow. “You’re planning to abduct your wife?” He sounded almost amused.

“I’m planning to save her life”, Faustus disagreed. “I will handle the witch hunters, the coven, everything. But she will be out of the cross hairs, until the situation calms down.” But he needed Edward’s support. “Call Diana. Tell her to get Sabrina and Hilda and drive to her parents for the next week. My family has a house a few hours away from here on the coast, you and Zelda will stay there.”

Edward seemed less and less convinced. “She will never agree to stay with me, you know that!”

Now this was the more difficult part of the plan. “I will teleport her to you, and we will use a spell to bind her to the property so she can not leave.” Zelda would definitely not like this, but it was all for her own safety. It needed to be done.

“She is the High Priestess, she can break through any spell we try”, Edward objected. “Her magic is much stronger than ours.”

Of course he was right, but Faustus had a solution for that problem. “I know a spell she can’t break”, he said vaguely. More of that later. “You just need to wait in the house and let me handle the rest!” Getting close enough to Zelda to teleport her would be a challenge in itself, but he would have to improvise in some way.

Edward sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You know she will us for this.” His eyes were sad. But he had not disagreed yet. He knew it was necessary.

“She already hates me”, Faustus replied. “Her safety is more important to me. Besides, just tell her it was my idea and I talked you into it.” Of course that would not calm her down in the slightest, but that was something to worry about later.

Edward huffed. “Well, you won’t have to be the one staying in a house with her… she’s going to kill me!” He dropped the pen he had been playing with. “Also, Zelda could never hate you. She loves you too much for that.”   
  
That might have been true, but Faustus was not so sure if it was still the case. He remembered the look in her eyes before she had disappeared, the coldness. Never before had she been so angry with him. Or disappointed. Or whatever else the primary emotion was right now. Perhaps a mix of both.

“So we are doing this?” Edward asked, looking rather grim.

Faustus nodded. If this was what it took to get Zelda away from all of this, he would gladly do this. She was the only thing that mattered.

 

Zelda was sitting in her office, leaned back in her chair and legs stretched out onto the desk. In her hands she held a glass of whiskey, half empty. Somehow the alcohol was not even helping anymore.

Obviously the thing she should be worried about were the witch hunters, but to her great despair she felt her thoughts drift back to Faustus again and again. As usual, he had her head turned upside down.

She smashed the glass down onto the table, half tempted to let it explode right there. But then she stopped herself. Breaking things with telekinesis was not helping, she had tried before. Instead she lit a cigarette, hectically taking a few drags. Although it was hard to admit, she just missed him. Sleeping alone was not her thing anymore. Zelda tapped the excess ash off, watching it crumble onto her desk.

Actually she had tons of work to do, but she just could not be bothered right now. She had wanted to forgive him, _really_ wanted to, but she just couldn’t. This was the one thing she had asked him not to do. And he still did it.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and a second later Faustus slipped into the room.

Zelda rolled her eyes, sitting up straight. “What do you want?” she asked, drawing on her cigarette to avoid having to look at him. All she wanted was to throw herself at him and kiss him. Forget all that happened. The other half of her wanted to kick him out a window. None of those things were happening, though.

“You made arrangements for me to travel to Europe?” he asked, frowning ever so slightly. His eyes travelled over to the empty whiskey glass on the table. “Drinking in the morning?” he added, almost playfully.

She shot him a deadly glare, getting up from her chair. Drinking was the best cure for a hangover and she definitely still had one from the night before. “There is some business in Germany which needs attending, and I can’t go”, she explained, leaning backwards against the desk. Actually she could have easily sent Marie – or anyone else for that matter – but she just wanted him _gone_ for a while. His presence was too much.

Like he had sensed her uneasiness, which he probably had, Faustus shifted closer. “Zelda you can’t be angry with me forever”, he said quietly, stopping with just enough distance to make her crave more.

 _Why did he knew her inside out?_ This was driving her insane. She put the cigarette out on the desk, leaving a black ring of ash. Not that it mattered. “Watch me”, she replied, but at the same time trying to escape his eyes. She wouldn’t be able to look at him without cracking. Instead she bit her lip, looking everywhere but him. She was determined to go through with this.

Slowly he approached her even further, obviously waiting for some sort of reaction. She knew that he would back up if she told him too, that he would never do anything if she told him otherwise. But Zelda remained silent, no word wanting to leave her mouth. She hated herself for falling so easily.

Faustus lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. The touch made her shiver. His fingers lingered on her skin, like he was hesitating for a second. Like there was surprised he had actually gotten this close.

Zelda felt her own breath growing unsteady, praying to the Dark Lord it wasn’t noticeable. She wanted to move away, tell him to leave, send him to Europe. But here she stood, getting lost in his eyes. Like always.

His fingers moved from her chin into her hair and then he was kissing her, and Zelda felt the last bit of her self control crumble. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself be pushed onto the table. Somehow, there was no going back.

It was not until this moment that she realized, that she could not live without him anymore either. That even the thought of being parted drove her insane. And that no matter how angry she was with him right now, how hurt, she didn’t manage to stay away.

She pulled away at the sudden realization, restoring a little space between their faces. Her heart was daring to jump out of her chest.

Suddenly something changed in his eyes, something the couldn’t quite grasp or explain but still notice. He traced the lines of her face for a moment. “I’m sorry”, he whispered, leaning in so that their lips barely touched.

She could feel his breath dancing over her skin. It gave her the impression he did not mean the cheating. _For what?_ She had meant to ask, but never got to open her mouth and speak the words.

Because he was kissing her again, hands holding her face, and then they were somewhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you think is gonna happen next? <3


	6. Too far Gone

When Zelda opened her eyes again Faustus was gone, and she was standing in a room she had never seen before. The walls were painted dark green, the ceiling was dark wood and thick brown carpets covered the floors. Above her the head of a dead stag had been nailed to the wall, making her flinch and move away from the walls.

It was clear that her husband had teleported her somewhere, and then disappeared before she noticed. _That had been his plan all along._ Suddenly she felt awfully used. Had he only apologized again because he had been planning this? Only kissed her because of that?

She glanced out of the window, but the house was surrounded by nothing but trees and open fields. Only green, where ever one looked. Suddenly she also felt the spells which surrounded the property, the protection shields. Binding her to the place. Now that had been foolish. Like she could not just break through the binding spell if she wanted to.

Slowly Zelda left the room – which appeared to have been the living room – and stepped into something like an entrance hall. Suddenly there was a sound somewhere in the house, like the running of tab water. Obviously she was not alone.

When she entered the little room which served as the kitchen, someone else was already sitting on the kitchen table, reading a newspaper. But it was not her husband.

“Edward”, Zelda noted, properly surprised. “What are you doing here?” She looked around herself.

Her brother put down the paper. Suddenly he looked rather uncomfortable. “Your husband told me about your little suicide mission and the plan to go after the witch hunters.” He raised an eyebrow. “Which is why we are staying right here until the thread is over.”

Zelda huffed. Now that was a nice little fantasy. “You can stay, I will not.” She was really craving a cigarette.

“You are bound to the grounds”, her brother informed her, a small smirk on his lips. Like he knew something she did not.

A slight bit worried, she frowned. “I can break the spell without even paying attention, Edward. You know I can.” Even if Faustus cast it, it would not be hard.

Her brother sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Faustus said that too, but he took care of that. The spell is bound to me, I control it. The second you break through, I will die.” He challenged her with his eyes. “Which you would not risk, right little sister?”

Zelda’s jaw dropped. “You’re lying”, she whispered. She could absolutely not be stuck in this house… for Satan knew how long.

“Willing to risk it?” Edward replied, shrugging carelessly. “Go ahead. Kill me in the process.” He chuckled. Obviously this was all very amusing to him.

Zelda could not share that notion at all. “Since when are you and Faustus _plotting_ against me?” she wanted to know, not even sure how to feel about all of this. Betrayal? Anger? Sadness? She felt the strong urge to break something.

Edward’s laughter died out. “We are not plotting, Zee, we are saving your life”, he answered, suddenly more worried than anything.

She shook her head. This was insane. This could not be happening. “I have a coven to take care of!” Her voice had risen. “I can’t just… disappear!”

Her brother sighed. “Faustus is taking care of things, believe me-” He never ended the sentence, since one of the windows exploded. Edward rolled his eyes. “Stop being dramatic.”

Zelda felt panic rise inside her. “So Faustus is stealing my coven?” she said very slowly, afraid her voice might fail her. _Had this all been a plot from the beginning?_ “Trapping me here, so he can be the High Priest he always wanted to be?”

“No”, Edward objected, swiftly getting up from his chair. “He’s saving your life, Zelda! The witch hunters have no idea who he is, but they will go after _you.”_

Another window burst into a thousand little pieces, the shards falling onto the wooden floor like silver rain.

Her brother gave her a disapproving look. “Stop demolishing the house, we need to live here for some time.”

Zelda huffed, feeling the strong urge to escape this situation. It was all too much. The next time she saw Faustus, he was a dead warlock. Married or not. This was even worse than the cheating. “If you weren’t my brother, some of those shards would be decorating your corpse right now”, she hissed, shooting him a deadly glare. After all Edward had been a part of this. “I’m going to kill Faustus”, she added under her breath.

Surprisingly, her brother laughed. “Well we expected that reaction.” He shrugged. “I certainly won’t stop you.”

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “I was under the impression you two are best friends by now. Since you pulled off this plan so perfectly.” Her tone was terribly bitter. She felt as weak as never before. There was absolutely nothing she could do. In Satan’s name, what had she done so wrong to deserve this? Was this Satanic punishment? Being stuck in a house with her brother, while her husband took over the coven? Probably.

“I don’t like him any more than I did before”, Edward declared, making a slightly annoyed face. “But if he offers to let himself be killed by the witch hunters and you are kept safe, I am willing to work with him.”

Her anger was slowly stagnating, especially at the thought of Faustus putting himself in danger for her. That had never been what she wanted. “He didn’t need to do that”, she muttered, running a hand through her hair. “I can handle myself!” She felt like repeating herself. But no one ever believed her anyway.

Edward shrugged. “I suppose that it what you do for someone you love.” His glance had grown a little softer. “I would do it for Diana any second.”

She glared at him angrily, almost feeling like she was a little girl anymore and Edward scouting her for stealing a cookie. Could he stop talking to her like she was five years old? Besides she hardly cared about anything concerning the mortal. “Well, you also didn’t cheat on Diana every chance you got”, Zelda replied. “Or so I hope”, she added. Who knew what her brother was up to, really.

“No, I didn’t.” He sighed. “Your husband is probably just trying to make things alright again.”   
  
_Too late._ Abducting her and locking her away in some house Satan knew where would definitely not do that. “Why is he not here, anyway?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “ _If he cares so much.”_

Edward smirked a little. “He was under the impression you would try to seduce him to undo the spells he had cast around the house.”

He really knew her too well. The realisation hid her harder than expected.

Zelda turned around and left the room without another word, hurrying through the hallway and into the front yard. She really needed some fresh air.

The sight of all the green outside made her sigh with frustration. There was nothing but trees and even more trees. Where the hell where they even? She finally found a pack of cigarettes in her pocket, lighting one and inhaling the smoke. Sooner or later Faustus would show up here – of course he would. Until then she could only wait.

 

At dawn Zelda had made herself comfortable in front of the kitchen window – where she had a great view into the front yard – smoking a cigarette and sipping on some Scotch. The sun had gone down an hour ago, the sky now covered in pink shreds of leftover clouds and the first soft light of the moon.

Edward was upstairs, talking to Diana on the phone or something along those lines, but she had not made an attempt to speak to him anymore. He was lucky she didn’t break through this damn spell and took care of things herself. But she could never.

Suddenly a figure emerged from the trees, shifting her attention back to the window. Of course she recognized him, would have recognized him anywhere. She took a large sip of Scotch, putting the empty glass down.

The sound of steps on the outside stairs echoed through the silent house, then the front door opened. More steps, now in the hallway. And then Faustus stood in the door frame, as familiar as always.

The look in his eyes was too intense for her to look away at first, almost magically drawing her in. Although he never needed a spell for that.

Barely a second later he gasped loudly, followed by a ragged breath. One of the kitchen knifes had cut through the air, now buried in the wood of the door frame. About a centimetre away from his head. “In Satan’s name, Zelda”, he exclaimed, another nervous glance towards the knife. Then he pulled it out of the wood, carefully putting it down on the kitchen counter. “That was not the greeting I was hoping for”, he added dryly.

Zelda huffed, getting up from the chair she had been sitting it. If only she had the nerves to make that knife hit its target. “What did you hope for, then?” she snapped back, crossing her arms while moving away towards the other end of the room. The kitchen was tiny, though, so there was not really room to go.

His gaze was never leaving her. “I did what I had to do to protect you.”

Now that was an outright lie. “You betrayed my trust, _again_ ”, she hissed. “You told Edward about the plan, which was supposed to be between you and me.” Now she sounded hurt. Which she didn’t want to show him.

He approached her, making Zelda back off until her back hit the wall.

Why had she not chosen another room? The kitchen was much too small. “How can I ever trust you again?” she asked, watching as he shifted even closer. “And how can a marriage work without trust?” The last words were supposed to hurt.

Faustus just stared at her for a moment. “All I want is for you to be safe, don’t you get that?” Now he sounded angry. Although she was the one who should be angry.

“I never asked you to do that, so don’t expect me to be grateful”, Zelda snapped back, wondering why suddenly she was the one who was getting attacked. _He_ was the one who had locked her up here against her will, after cheating on her which resulted in a probable bastard baby. _He_ did not have the right to get mad right now.

Faustus huffed. “No, because you are never grateful for anything. And do you know why?” There was a slight pause, like he was searching for the right words. Or the will to speak them out loud. “Because you’re scared. Scared of commitment.”

Why were they discussing her failures now? Zelda suddenly felt the strong urge to pick up that knife again. “I married you”, she hissed, shaking her head. “That’s quite the commitment, don’t you think?” Obviously it had been a mistake anyway. One could see how this marriage was working out.

Faustus seemed to disagree. “But you’re always holding back. Always have one step outside the door, so you can escape at any moment.” He took another step towards her. “Did you think I don’t notice that?”

He had quite the talent of making everything seem her fault. Zelda pressed her lips together. “Why not just leave then?” she asked, although not really meaning it. She didn’t want him to leave, in all honesty. “If I’m such a terrible wife.”   
  
To her surprise, he almost laughed. “ _Leave?_ ” It sounded like mockery. “I wanted to leave after you became High Priestess, and some more times after that, but you know I could never do that.” His eyes met hers. “Just like you could never let that knife hit its target. Although I know you wanted to.”

Zelda felt a little called out. In her mind she dropped the idea of trying a second time. He would know before, anyway.

He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I am so in love with you that even the thought of being without you pains me”, he went on, the last bit of anger still sparkling in his eyes. “And sometimes I wish I wasn’t, but I have given up trying to act like it is any different.” Suddenly he was very close, standing directly in front of her.

Zelda suddenly felt dizzy. As usual she meant to say something, any sort of reply that would make sense of this mess, but again she failed.

“I love you”, Faustus whispered, taking her hand into his. His fingers played with the diamond ring. “More than anything else.”

She was unable to look anywhere else than his eyes, feeling her inner resistance crumbling. _Sometimes she really was easy._

The next things happened without Zelda really noticing what she was actually doing, let alone come up with the idea that she was sending very mixed messages. Faustus pushed her back against the wall, lips crashing down on hers. His tongue flicked into her mouth, immediately deepening the kiss. They were holding onto each other like they were each other’s air, and both drowning.

He lifted her up, pressing her tighter against the wall. Her finger’s were curled up in his shirt, nails scratching over his neck. They were as close as possible, but still craved more contact. Faustus was lifting up her dress, just the moment Zelda realized her brother was upstairs.

For a brief second she considered to stop, her mind racing through the endless possibilities of saying _this is a mistake_ or _I hate you_ or _I never want to see you again._ But she didn’t. Because none of it were true.

And she had no intend of stopping. Not for a while at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how do you think things are gonna continue with those two? <3


	7. Hearts

It was after midnight when Zelda awoke, rolling onto her stomach and blinking into the darkness. She was lying in her bedroom in the house, the one right under the roof. Pale moonlight was falling through the window, illuminating the otherwise dim room. Next to her Faustus was softly breathing, chest rising and falling steadily.

Zelda sighed silently, sitting upright. They had moved from the kitchen up here, and eventually fallen asleep next to each other. It had felt as familiar as always, although now she felt a certain sense of uneasiness. They had not brought up the issues of the fight yet again, nor tried to work them out in any way. This was the only way to resolve conflict they knew. A way which always worked.

Just in this second her husband stirred next to her, obviously having woken up by her movements. “Why are you awake?” he muttered, voice still hoarse from sleeping.

And suddenly, Zelda had an idea. How she would get her way. How she always got it. She slipped under the covers again, shifting closer to Faustus. In the darkness she let her fingers trace the lines of his jaw.

“What are you doing?” he asked, but letting a hand run over her naked back down to her waist.

Only now Zelda realized she was only wearing her underwear. But that would only make it easier. She rolled on top of him, straddling him. “What do you think I’m doing?” she breathed, letting her tongue softly touch his bottom lip. But she upheld the smallest of spaces between their lips.

Faustus tensed beneath her, leaning forward to join their lips.

For a moment the kiss was all tongue and teeth, battling for dominance, but then Zelda broke away. “How did Edward cast the spell?” she whispered, nails gently scrapping over the skin of his neck.

Faustus only chuckled. “You have to try a little harder for that”, he replied, fingers drawing little circles on her back.

Now that was a challenge she was willing to take. Especially since usually, she didn’t have to try hard at all. She moved a little closer, so she could see his eyes gleaming in the dark. The moonlight was reflecting in his iris. “If you don’t want to tell me, perhaps I do a little venturing once we get out of here…” the words hang in the air, silently between them. Zelda felt him tensing even more, the grip on her waist intensifying. “See if anyone else in the coven would like to please their High Priestess.”  
  
The sentence was hardly finished, but he had already rolled her over and was now on top of her. “You wouldn’t”, he growled, body pressed firmly against hers.

Zelda smiled in the darkness. “Why shouldn’t I? You always say it doesn’t mean anything.” She loved to push his buttons like this. If only the lights were on and she could see his face.

Faustus had gripped her wrists by now, pinning them down next to her head. She was hardly able to move anymore. “You wouldn’t dare”, he repeated, lips so close to hers his hot breath was tickling her.

Zelda chuckled. This was much too enjoyable. “Are we a little jealous?” she asked teasingly, moving slightly beneath him to get into a more comfortable position. She could feel how hard he was against her.

Out of a sudden he let go of her, like he had just realized what he was even doing. “I’m sorry”, was all else he said, before letting go of her completely and moving to the other end of the bed.

Now that had been unexpected. Zelda sat up as well, properly confused. “For what?” she asked carefully, running a hand through her messy hair. It was too dark to see his face, but she could feel that he was upset. For whatever reason.

Faustus sighed. “For cheating. And for saying it was not a big deal when obviously that is not true.” He shook a head a little. “I just realized how hurt I would be if you...” he never finished the sentence, but the meaning was obvious.

Suddenly she felt sorry too. “I-” Zelda began, but the words ended in silence. What could she say to explain all this? Instead she just reached out for him, taking his hand in hers. The touch made her feel better.

At first he hesitated but then he softly pulled her closer. “I know you don’t trust in my promises anymore and you are right to do so, but I swear to you it will never happen again.” He pressed a light kiss onto her fingers. “I learned my lesson.”

Honestly, Zelda was not too sure if he did. But she nodded anyway. If only this was the only issue. “You have to let me out of here”, she said quietly, but urgently. “I can’t sit around while my coven is being attacked!”

Faustus ran a hand through her hair. “And I can’t let anything happen to you.” His tone was almost sad. “I’ll take care of everything, I promise. But they already sent you one warning, they won’t send another on!” He was utterly serious.

“ _I am_ the High Priestess”, Zelda argued, but her own voice sounded weak. She was tired of arguing.

Her husband sighed again, still holding her hand in his. “I know. Which is why you don’t have to do everything yourself.” Carefully he pulled her closer against him, kissing her forehead.

Zelda just gave in, wrapping her arms around him and just resting her body against his. For a moment she closed her eyes. She was close to falling asleep again.

Faustus seemed to have sensed that, since he chuckled a little. “I love you”, he whispered into her hair, before softly laying her down in the sheets.

Without even thinking about it she rested her head on his chest, and it felt so normal and familiar that everything else which had happened was suddenly very far away.

 

The next time Zelda was woken up by the first sun rays falling into the room, but when she looked next to her this time Faustus was gone. For some reason she felt that he was not just downstairs in the kitchen making coffee, but really gone. Back in Greendale. Leading her coven.

She sat up, running a hand through her hair and reaching into the night stand for a cigarette. Her head was hurting terribly, for whatever reason, and when she inhaled the smoke into her lungs she felt better.

After having finished smoking she climbed out of the bed, making her way downstairs. Spending the entire day here seemed dreadful, and Zelda felt restless. She just needed to _do_ something.

Her brother was sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and making the crossword. It was an odd picture, truly. When she entered he looked up, a smug smile on his lips. “Good morning”, he greeted, eyebrows slightly raised.

It was until now Zelda realized that she was probably covered in hickeys and bruises. Not that she cared too much since Edward had probably heard everything anyway, but she should have thought about that beforehand. “Where is Faustus?” she asked, although already knowing the answer. Meanwhile she poured herself a cup of coffee as well.

“Left at first light”, her brother replied, shrugging. “He was in a hurry.”

Of course he was. Zelda huffed slightly, sitting down at the table. Suddenly she was mad again. As soon as he was not there anymore, glaring at her with that _look_ he knew would make her weak, the anger came back. The betrayal. “Running a coven is surely stressful”, she replied sarcastically. “I would know.”

Edward gave her an annoyed look. “You’re being unfair”, he responded dryly, eyes back on the crossword. He was filling in some words with his pen, the sound of it scratching over the paper the only audible thing for a few seconds.

“I am the unfair one, of course”, Zelda snapped back, a little more offended than she should have been. But her nerves were properly strained by now. She just wished Faustus were here. If he was, she would not be so mad anymore. Or feel as alone as she felt right now. Like she was the only person in the world.

Her brother on the other hand looked utterly calm. “I am certain the witch hunters will be dealt with soon and we can get out of here.” He sighed dramatically. “It’s not like living with you is great.”

Zelda huffed again, this time more offended.

“Besides”, Edward added, the smirk back on his lips. “You didn’t seem to mind your husband’s company too much last night.”

She rolled her eyes at the comment, sipping on her coffee. “That was different”, she replied, without wanting to go into too much detail. Without accidently revealing that fighting was sort of their foreplay. They had always gotten off on it more than anything else. It was sort of their… routine.

Her brother just chuckled. “Right.”  
  
Zelda felt in need of a change of topic. “How is Sabrina?” she navigated the conversation towards a less explosive topic. She missed her niece. Even her sister a little bit, perhaps. Although she would never openly admit so.

Edward’s face grew a little softer. “She’s fine. At her grandparent’s house.” He smiled a little. “She misses you too, though.”

Slowly Zelda put the coffee mug down on the table. Now she missed the little girl even more. “Maybe she’s going to be High Priestess one day”, she pointed out. That would certainly make her really proud.

“I hope not”, her brother replied, putting the pen down. “Because if she’s anything like you, she will get herself killed.” His tone was utterly serious.

Zelda sighed. “Why do you insist that I am this careless? I don’t _want_ to end up dead!” It was not her fault she was the High Priestess and it was therefore her job to keep the coven safe. What else was she supposed to do? This was not about choosing. The Dark Lord seldom allowed the freedom to choose. One just did as he told.

But Edward shrugged. “Sometimes I feel like you do.” A short pause followed. “If Sabrina ever becomes High Priestess, I hope she has someone like you have with Faustus”, he eventually added. “Who takes care of her.”

Zelda glared at her brother, taking another sip of coffee. This guilt trip was really not subtle at all. “Considering you hated him at first, you do speak quite highly of him now”, she noted.

“Well you two certainly deserve each other”, her brother replied dryly, smirking a little.

Since that could be taken as a compliment or an offence – although Zelda’s money would be on the latter – she didn’t say anything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry that this is short, but there is definitely some drama coming up <3


	8. Way down we go

Faustus was sitting in Zelda’s office, head leaned against the back of the chair, staring at the ceiling. It felt weird being here without her, alone in the empty room. The scent of her perfume was still lingering on, like a ghost never quite gotten rid of.

In front of him he had spread out a number of books, all on the subject of tracking spells. He had deliberately not told Zelda that they had indeed found something they could track the hunters with, an empty shell from a bullet which they had left behind. Now this shell was lying in front of him too, almost mocking him.

A tracking spell was not an easy ceremony, at least not for Faustus. Zelda with her powers would have done it in a heartbeat, but he could not tell her any of this. Not if they had just sort of reconciled the night before. Besides he needed her to stay out of this. Getting her involved was too dangerous.

A knock on the door told Faustus that Marie had returned, perhaps bringing the items he had requested. “Come in”, he sighed, sitting straight in his chair.

Marie entered, the shadow of a smile on her lips. She had not believed the story he had told her for one second, but instead started a lengthy discussion about how she only followed Zelda’s commands and not his. In the end he had convinced her, but it had left a sour taste in his mouth whenever he saw her. No one here took him seriously, saw him as anything else than the High Priest’s husband. The Council preferred to ignore his existence entirely, anyway.

“So”, Maria began, voice rather dry. “I brought you the incense.” She dropped it on the desk.

Faustus raised an eyebrow. “Are all the witches and warlocks assembled within the Academy?” Zelda’s protection spells were still working, so here was the safest place right now.

The other witch hesitated. “Of course”, she responded eventually. “Apart from the Spellman’s, none of them are here.” She was very well aware that she was telling him something he already knew.

“Great”, he replied, shrugging the words of with a gesture. Details of the plan were not the Council’s or Marie’s concern. “Leave me, then.”  
  
She shot him another look, which was a mixture of hatred and anger, before turning around and leaving without a word of goodbye. The sound of the door being thrown shut echoed through the room.

Faustus rolled his eyes, getting up and lighting the incense. Cleaning the space before casting a spell was helpful, especially since it got rid of all the unwanted energy. So he had decided to do it, although he felt stupid.

But just when the first bits of smoke had risen into the air, there was another knock on the door. _What in Satan’s name did Marie want now?_ “What?” Faustus growled, everything but friendly. He did not need to be interrupted right now, especially not by some stupid Council member who had no idea what was going on anyway.

Still, the person who entered the office was not Marie. Not even close.

It was a middle-aged man with dark black hair, wearing black robes and a hat. His eyes were piercing, glowing slightly in the dim light. The smell of incense filled the room.

Faustus gasped. “Dark Lord”, he exclaimed, subconsciously taking a step back. This could hardly be a good sign.

The man smiled, closing the door behind himself. His smile was sharp as a loaded gun. “Faustus Blackwood”, he mused, looking around himself. “My very trusted servant.”

Faustus nearly dropped the burning incense. Quickly he put it down on the desk, although it was bound to leave burnings in the wood. “Why do you honour me with your visit, Dark Lord?” he asked carefully, hesitating with each word.

Satan shrugged. “I was in the neighbourhood.” It almost sounded like a joke. “And I got word that you took over this coven, so I came to see for myself.”

Now was probably not the right time to start an argument with the Dark Lord, but Faustus was bound to disagree. “I have not taken over”, he replied, leaning against the desk. He did not wish to step any closer.

“Really?” Satan smiled again, this time wickedly. Like he was very content with how events were planning out. “Have you not always wished to be High Priest? Prayed to me that I might make your wish come true?” He stepped forward. “Have _you_ not always been my most devout follower?”

Agreeing seemed the best option here. Faustus nodded. “I have, Dark Lord.” His faith had always been something he prided himself with, therefore being High Priest had seemed a logical option. Until Zelda had stepped in.

Satan shrugged. “But I have forsaken you, have I not? I chose the girl. Made her my representative on earth.”

 _Had this all been a wicked plan?_ Faustus felt more and more alarmed. “I accepted my fate”, he answered, careful with choosing the words. And it was true. Zelda was all he wanted, all that was important to him. The crown was not his, but he had learnt to live with that.

“Yet here you are.” The Dark Lord looked around himself. “Married to the girl who beat you. Sitting in her stead and doing her job.” His eyes were fixed on Faustus. “Do you not sometimes wish you had slit her throat when you still had the chance?” The grin was back on his lips.

Faustus felt himself shuddering. He did not like the direction this was going in at all. “No, I do not wish that”, he replied truthfully. How could he? “I no longer desire to be High Priest.”

Satan sighed, but it sounded amused. “Desire is a curious thing indeed. Never to be confused with love, of course.” He stepped over to one of the bookshelves, letting his long fingers drift over the covers. “Witches and warlocks can not love.” His gaze drifted back to Faustus. “They can only desire. And do you not desire power most of all, Faustus Blackwood?”

Years ago, the answer to that question would have been yes. But things had changed, and Faustus no longer believed in the Dark Lord’s words. He was trying to manipulate him, obviously, only for what reason? “Why have you come today, Dark Lord?” he followed up, giving his best to sound respectful enough.

Satan turned back around to face him. His eyes had changed colour, now gleaming a weak red. “I have watched you, my servant, turning your back on me. You are no longer devout to me, me alone.”

 _Our Lord is a jealous Lord._ Faustus felt a shiver running down his spine. This was not good at all. “My Lord, I beg your pardon”, he replied carefully. “I never meant to upset you.”

“Love has made you weak”, Satan spit out, face changing into an expression of bitterness with the words. “The woman has made you weak.”

 _The woman who you made your High Priestess._ Faustus was beginning to doubt that this had anything to do with him. He felt the strong urge to see Zelda right now, make sure she was alright. He had a bad feeling out of a sudden, like he was missing her bigger picture here. Like he was just a simple pawn in a much bigger game.

The Dark Lord seemed to have awaited an answer, but when he received none he just resumed to speaking. “Your ambition and power are vaining while hers are ever growing. Does that not upset you?”

Faustus frowned. “No”, he responded, although it was perhaps not entirely true. Of course it upset him, from time to time. But it was not important enough to act on it. Or put his marriage at risk.

Satan smiled, a scary smile. “I will take my leave now. Mind my words, Faustus Blackwood. There might come a day when you will remember them.” He stepped towards the door, but held on for another moment. “Consider my warning.” Then he disappeared into thin air.

Faustus heart was still racing, the intense smell suddenly burning in his nose. _What had this been?_ He felt the strong urge to call Zelda, already reaching for the phone on his desk. When he dialed the number of the old house, he felt unusually cold.

The phone rang a few times, before it was picked up. “Hello?” Zelda’s voice said into the line, just on the verge of sounding annoyed.

Honestly, Faustus had never been this happy to hear her. “It’s me”, he replied, smiling a little. He was glad she had no way of telling that.

His wife sighed. “What do you want?” The annoyance was back apparently.

At this point he did not even mind that. “I just wanted to hear your voice.” He felt like having to tell her, explain the situation to her, but the words did not want to leave his lips. Like they were caged within him. Something was holding him back. Instead he said the only truth he could think of.

Zelda huffed, but it sounded like she was smiling as well. “Well, you heard it now.”

“How are you?” he asked, just to make sure she was really fine. That there was nothing he was missing. Because the uneasiness was still there.

She sighed dramatically, the way she always did. “Great, being trapped in a foreign house is just wonderful.” There was a slight pause. “Especially since my only company is my brother.”

Faustus rolled his eyes. “It’s not a foreign house, it’s my house. And it won’t be long until you can leave.”

Those words seemed to have caught Zelda’s attention. “Really? Do you have a lead?” she followed up immediately.

He sighed, watching the rest of the incense burn off. The spell needed to be performed soon. “Nothing concrete. But I’m working on it.” Hearing her voice had made him relax a little, shaking of the nerve wrecking feeling that something was not quite alright. “I have to go”, he added. “I’ll stop by later tonight.”

“Don’t bother”, his wife muttered, but it was easy to tell that she was lying. Zelda hung up then, and Faustus put the phone down. Perhaps he was just being paranoid.

Next he went on with the tracking spell, placing the shell from the bullet within a circle of salt and speaking the needed incantation. Then he placed a map of Greendale next to it.

But nothing happened. He tried again, and again, slowly getting more worried. Was the spell not working? Maybe his magic was not strong enough after all. The entire office was still heavy with the smell of incense. He hoped it had not all been for nothing.

But then another thought crossed his mind. What if they no longer were in Greendale? He grabbed another map, one which included several towns in the area. Again Faustus spoke the words from the book, waiting for a reaction.

This time a certain spot on the map turned brown, like a hole had being burned into the paper. _So they had left Greendale._ The first relief that the spell had worked was quickly overpowered by horror, when he realized what location they had gone.

His family’s house.

They had gone after Zelda.

A coldness crept over his skin, one he had never felt before. _Satan always got it right, in the end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm currently really busy so sorry that the chapters are coming so slowly <3


	9. Battlefield

Zelda hung up the phone, rolling her eyes with annoyance. So Faustus indeed had a lead and refused to tell her... that was rude. Really rude. 

“Edward?” she asked into the silence of the house, wondering if her brother had left. When there was no answer she walked into the kitchen, finding a note on the kitchen table which told her that Edward had driven into the next city to buy some groceries.

With him gone, the house seemed even more empty than usual. Zelda walked downstairs, entering the room which served as a small library. The walls were covered in book shelves, written in different languages. She had a feeling Faustus had added some of those just for her, considering they were in languages such as mandarin or russian, which he didn’t speak. 

She reached for a Russian version of a history book, covering the time period of extensive witch hunting in the northern hemisphere. Carefully she skimmed over the pages, looking at images of dead witch bodies, large fires and executions. The Salem Witch Trials had their own chapter, although nowadays the hunters hardly ever hung or drowned witches but simply shot them. Easier and faster. 

Suddenly there was a sound upstairs, and the next moment Zelda felt the protection spells around the house wavering. It was hardly more than a small vibration, but strong enough to be noticeable. Definitely not a good sign though. 

Swiftly she closed the book, leaving the library and hurrying upstairs. Perhaps not the most clever way to go about this, but she wanted to see what was going on. 

The hallway was empty, utterly empty. Zelda looked around herself, listening in to any unfamiliar sounds. Nothing. Slowly she reached for the phone on the wall, dialing the number of her office.

But her husband did not pick up. In satan’s name, where was he if one needed him? 

Zelda sighed, still slightly alarmed. Her heart was beating irregularly fast. 

Carefully she walked into the kitchen, glancing out of one of the windows. The yard was utterly empty, but some rain had started to fall. It was dripping onto the roof, filling the silence. 

Was she beginning to be paranoid? All this time spend here did not seem to do well for her... it had probably just been a deer, passing the protective spells. No need to freak out. 

Still, the feeling was not easily shaken off. After lighting a cigarette and finishing it hectically Zelda decided she wanted to be on the safe side, reaching for a glass of water and some salt. She sprinkled some of it into the water, stirring carefully. Then she said some simple words, those of a spell fit for exposing home invaders. 

Suddenly the water turned brown, like a sudden mold had befallen it. A shudder ran over Zelda’s spine, when she realized that she had not indeed been paranoid. Someone was inside the house. 

She began to recite the words of a binding spell, trying to manifest where exactly the intruder was hiding. But the protection spells were blocking it, and it was hard to make out. 

Zelda turned around to leave the kitchen, hurry back into the library, when suddenly she froze. Someone was standing in the hallway, a dark figure with dirty black hair and a brown coat. And a metal gun, pointed straight at her. 

For a second she was too shocked to even react, just staring the witch hunter in the eye.

The man grinned wickedly. “The High Priestess, interesting”, he noted, stepping a little closer. The safety of the gun was turned off with a click. “I did not imagine a little witch to be this pretty”, he added, eyes traveling up and down her.

Zelda had regained her composure, smiling mildly and shrugging at the words. She was no longer afraid. The next second a lamp dropped from the ceiling, hitting the man right on his head. He dropped to the side, gun sliding somewhere into the shadows. 

Quickly she hurried back into the kitchen, praying to Satan this was the only bad surprise. Naturally, it was not. 

A shot went off near her, hitting the window just centimeters away from her head. Zelda made a vase fly into the witch hunter, little blood stains covering the wooden floor. 

She was trying to recite a binding spell, hectically going over the incantation and drawing a pentagram onto the kitchen table with some leftover cigarette ash. The lines were gleaming softly, Zelda hurrying over the words. 

But she never finished, the sound of another gun going off interrupting her. And then there was a cutting pain, and she dropped to the floor. 

 

Edward drove along the empty road, the groceries sitting on the backseats. He had just phoned Diana and spoken to her and Sabrina, but the house was near and he had hung up. 

Slowly he drove onto the yard, stopping the engine. He scanned the surroundings for a moment, suddenly feeling like there was something upsetting the balance. The slightest change in the air, like a few atoms out of place. The shields were still up, meaning Zelda was definitely inside. 

He got out of the car, leaving the groceries. Something was unsettling, not alright.

Edward stepped onto the porch, suddenly freezing. The front door was half open, the wood smeared with dried blood. 

Horror ran through his body, a sudden cold overcoming him. Like in trance he stepped into the hallway, almost tripping over a body. The man’s face was covered in blood, shards of glass still sticking out. A broken vase was lying next to him. 

A heavy silence hung in the air. “Zelda?” Edward asked, voice shaking. He did not dare to speak up. 

Suddenly, sounds in the kitchen. “Edward!” someone yelled. Only it was not his sister’s voice. 

Edward hurried into the kitchen, surprised his legs even carried him. 

But in the doorframe he froze, staring blankly at the sight which laid before him. 

Faustus was kneeling on the floor, covered in a puddle of blood. He was holding Zelda’s body, whose eyelids were fluttering shut every second and skin was alarmingly even more pale than usual. 

Although the worst of all was the expression on Faustus’ face, the way his eyes were screaming for help. The last time Edward had seen that look had been a decade ago, in front of the maze. 

He knelt down as well, feeling his heart hectically pumping. “What happened?” he asked dryly, voice not sounding like himself. Although it was obvious. The witch hunters had come at last. 

Faustus’ glance was shifting from him to Zelda, and back. “She’s loosing too much blood”, he exclaimed, voice so full of panic like he would explode any second. “We need to do something, a spell, I could-“ he trailed off, looking for the words, but never finding them. His fingers were caressing his wife’s cheeks, like he could physically force her to stay with them. 

Zelda was breathing heavily, green eyes daring to fall shut. “It’s fine, Faustus”, she whispered, barely getting a word out. 

Edward felt a shudder running over his spine, realizing the finality. There was nothing they could do. No spell could heal a bullet wound. 

But Faustus violently shook his head, taking Zelda’s face into his hands. “You stay with me, do you hear me?” It sounded close to tears. “I can’t live without you, Zelda, I beg you-“ 

Tears were gleaming on Zelda’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry”, she breathed, barely audible. 

“No no no.” Faustus pulled her closer, fingers running through her hair. Blood was spilling everywhere. “I love you.” Like the words would make her stay.

His sister’s eyes fell shut, and Edward felt like a hot iron had been pressed to his chest. If only he had been in the house... he could have saved her. Protected her. Like any brother should. 

Faustus was still clutching Zelda’s body, begging her to come back. Now his face was covered in tears as well, his hands stained in blood. So much blood. 

Carefully, Edward rested a hand on the other warlock’s arm. “Faustus”, he began. “You need to let her go.” The words sounded pointless, empty and without meaning. Like a badly told lie. 

“No!” Faustus objected, still holding onto Zelda like his life depended on it. Perhaps it did indeed. “I can save her, I just need to-“ He took a ragged breath. “I’ll bring her back!” 

Edward was trying his best not to look at his sister’s lifeless face, but it seemed to draw his eye in like a magnet. He felt sick, like throwing up would ease the pain. Necromancy sounded sweet in the ears of the desperate, but it was hardly that. Satan did not gamble with the dead. 

Suddenly Faustus looked up. His eyes were stern determination. “You can do it, perform the ceremony! I-I’ll slit my throat I don’t care...” 

It was a serious offer, Edward was very aware. But although the thought of getting his sister back was tempting, he knew better. Resurrection did not work, it never did. “Faustus, she is gone. Magic can not change that.” It took all of his energy to speak the words, make them reality. He felt his own tears beginning to fall. 

Faustus’ eyes were empty, like the last hope had been drained from them. He was still holding onto Zelda, like she was his lifeline and he was drowning. 

Which he was, in a way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long delay with the chapters i’ll give my best to update more often <3


	10. Without Me

Edward was sitting at the kitchen table, smoking the third one of Zelda’s cigarettes. He had never understood the sensation of them, rather hated the way they made the mind all fuzzy and turned your brain around slowly. But right now he was clinging to them, like they were the last pieces he had of his sister. 

The blood stains on the floor gleamed scarlet when the sun fell through the window, lighting up the kitchen. The rain had stopped. 

Faustus was kneeling on the floor, still holding onto Zelda. Since her last breath he had not moved, only the rising and falling of his chest told one that he was even alive. His eyes were glued to his wife, not once moving. He seemed totally frozen. 

The cigarette smoke rose in front of him, Edward coughing slightly. It was the only sound in the house. He felt his tears rising back up, the more the smoke scratched in his throat. Ash crumbled onto the table, onto the lines of the drawn pentagram. 

The scenery seemed totally frozen, like time had stopped. An hour could have passed or maybe only a minute, it was impossible to tell. Edward could just sit there and stare blankly into the air, still hoping that this was all just a bad dream. And not reality. 

Suddenly the phone in the hallway rang, the sound echoing through the house. It was like being ripped from a dream, violently shaken awake. Edward dropped the cigarette. Suddenly his hands were shaking. 

Faustus needed another moment to react, then he turned very slowly. Carefully he let go of Zelda, resting her body on the floor. She looked like she was sleeping. If not for all the blood. 

The ringing stopped, and everything fell silent again. And yet something had changed. 

Faustus stood up, looking as shaky and stiff as Edward felt, and almost fled the room. His shirt was covered in blood, the fabric close to leaking.

”What are you doing?” Edward asked, voice barely audible. His entire throat was burning. The cigarette had burned the wood of the table. 

His brother in law was busy emptying the kitchen drawers, dropping quite few of its contents on the floor. Faustus was shaking his head, mumbling something to himself again and again. 

“Faustus!” Edward repeated, this time louder. The numbness was turning into anger. Anger at himself, but also at the other warlock. He had come up with this plan, promised to protect Zelda... how had they even known she was here? 

A jar of sugar dropped onto the floor, spilling all over the kitchen. Faustus simply grabbed the salt container, leaving the room without even looking back. 

Somehow, Edward had a bad feeling about this. All of this. He hurried after him, following Faustus out into the yard. “What are you doing?” he asked, watching him draw a pentagram with the salt. 

“I’m bringing her back”, Faustus replied, with stern determination. It was the first time he had spoken to Edward. “I don’t care what I have to do!” 

Edward felt anger rushing through his veins. How could he be so arrogant? There was no fixing this. “This is all your fault!” he yelled, not even caring who might hear. “You with your stupid plots and schemes...” He took a deep breath. “You’re the reason my sister is dead.” 

For a moment Faustus just stared at him, the dark eyes gleaming. Next Edward was thrown backwards, crashing down on the front porch. 

He sat up again, the world spinning around him. The pain in his head was no comparison to the one he felt inside. “That’s all you can do?” he hissed at the other warlock, wanting to get up. But he failed. Something was tying him to the ground, like an invisible band. Faustus had used a binding spell. 

“I don’t need you in my way”, he exclaimed, eyeing Edward. “I’ll get her back, I don’t care what I have to do!” It sounded like a promise. 

Edward felt his heart rate quickening. This sounded a lot like necromancy. The darkest art of magic. He wanted to protest, but the words died in his throat. What did it matter anymore? 

If Faustus wanted to raise hell, so be it.

 

Faustus completed the salt circle around the pentagram, the white lines gleaming in the sun. It didn’t matter anymore, nothing did. All he wanted was his wife back, no matter the consequences. 

He began to speak the binding spell, ignoring the glance Edward was throwing at him. The other warlock still thought he would perform a simple resurrection, try and get Zelda back this way. But he knew better.

A resurrection would not work, because none of this had been by coincidence. Not chance had let the witch hunters on Zelda’s path, no. This was all a larger plan. Satan coming to collect. 

The incantation was long and complicated, but Faustus hurried over the words. It was a spell for binding powerful forces, and Satan was indeed the most powerful of them all.

Zelda probably could have done it easily, but Faustus had to put quite the effort into it. The magic seemed to tear at him, but he needed to keep going. He had to. 

Eventually the spell was over, and the air fell silent. Nothing seemed to move. 

“You’re insane”, Edward whispered from where he was sitting, staring at him wide eyes. “Asking a Satanic favour, do you have any idea-“ 

He never finished the sentence, next second he just froze. His eyes were pinned to a spot not far from Faustus, where a figure was just appearing. 

The same man Faustus had met before. 

“Dark Lord”, he broke the silence, tilting his head. He gave his best to hide his emotions, all the sadness and rage which was racing through him. What he needed to be was calm and collected. 

Satan smirked, and a cloud moved to cover the sun. Suddenly all was dim and dark. “Faustus Blackwood”, he mused, like this had been the first time they met. “My trusted servant.” He looked around himself. “What can I do for you?” 

Faustus was trying really hard to keep his composure. “Don’t you already know what I want?” 

The Dark Lord sighed dramatically, beginning to walk along the lines of the pentagram which had bound him. “I had always considered you a rational man, Faustus.” He smiled to himself. “You should know that Satan does not bargain with dead.” 

“What if I call in a favour?” Faustus replied, never letting his eyes drift anywhere but the man in front of him. He needed to agree... 

Satan laughed, stopping his pace. “A favour, interesting.” His eyes gleamed a reddish colour. “What do I get in return?” 

Faustus took a deep breath. “Whatever you want.” It was the truth. There was nothing he would not do at this point to get his wife back. All he needed was Zelda. 

For a moment everything fell silent, only the trees rasped in the background. “I had high aspirations for you, Faustus Blackwood.” Satan’s eyes were filled with pity. “You would have been my High Priest. My representative.” He shook his head really slowly. “Before you decided bedding this girl was more important than power and glory.” 

Faustus was seriously wondering what game he had gotten into here. “Then why make her High Priest instead?” he asked carefully. 

The Dark Lord gave another dramatic sigh. “After you convinced yourself that you were desperately in love with her she needed to go, so what better way to make you loathe her than letting her steal the one thing you always craved?” Another wicked smirk. “Power. Glory. Getting to lead. Isn’t that it?” 

Slowly it was starting to make sense. It had been a plan all along. But things were different now. “All I want is her”, Faustus answered, feeling his heart hurting with every word. The thought of losing her was making it hard to breathe. 

Satan gave a disappointed huff. “She proved to be an extraordinary leader, I give her that much. And she is certainly very pretty.” His eyes were watching Faustus’ reaction attentively. “Although not worth risking everything for.” 

Suddenly he felt like throwing up. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. 

But the Dark Lord was not done just yet. “I can make you an offer”, he continued, making a wide gesture. “We forget this day ever happened”, his eyes were sparkling with amusement, “and in return I will make you High Priest.” 

For a split second, it sounded tempting.

But then he remembered Zelda. The way she smiled, the way she glared at him when angry, the way she fell asleep curled up on his chest. The way her lips tasted. 

“No”, he replied. “Bring her back and you will get whatever you ask from me in return.” It was a last desperate attempt to fix this, the mess which was seemingly his fault. He should have protected her...

Satan seemed to consider the words for a moment, his glance shifting back and forth between Faustus and a spot behind him in the distance. Finally, he replied. “I am feeling generous today.” He smiled a dangerous smile. His eyes were sparkling flames. “I will bring her back, but in return you both pay the price together.” There was a short pause. “You will be bound together, you and her. She dies, you die. Whatever the one person suffers, the other will to. None shall live without the other.” 

Immediately, a little voice in Faustus’ head told him that this was a trap. That Zelda would hate him for this. Zelda, the girl who needed her freedom more than anything else.

But he couldn’t think about the consequences right now, could not allow himself to do that. The thought of nevertheless seeing her smile, never hearing her voice again was too grave. Even if she hated him, at least she would be alive. 

And so instead he nodded. “Deal.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think is gonna happen next <3


	11. Bury a Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm finally back to writing this fic, sorry for the long wait. chapters will come more regulary now <3

When Zelda opened her eyes everything around her was too bright, creating an instant headache spreading through her. She felt something like a sense of doom rising within her, like something was not quite alright. Then she sat up, slowly and carefully. _Very_ unlike herself usually.

Her eyes found Faustus first, sitting on the edge of the bed she was appearently lying in. In all honesty, he looked everything but good. Tired, exhausted, dark circles under his eyes. But his gaze was fixed on her, like she was the only star in his universe. The way he always looked at her. “What happened?” Zelda asked, feeling the need to break through the depressing silence in the room.

Suddenly Faustus moved, like a ban had been broken. His lips collided with hers, and he was kissing her like it was the last chance he might ever have.

She broke away, gasping for air. “Now that was unexpected”, she commented, feeling all the more like this was not a usual start of the day at all. Slowly, she was beginning to pierce the memories back together. “The witch hunters...” she began, the image of the men in the house coming back to her mind. _Where had the time gone?_

Faustus ran a hand through her hair, like he couldn’t really believe she was there. “They’re dead. I killed the last one you didn’t get to.”

She was searching his eyes, for something she might be missing here. The bigger picture. He was hiding something from her. “He shot me, didn’t he?” _Pain. Blood._ Pieces of memories came back.

Her husband nodded, stroking her cheek softly. “I used a tracking spell to find them and came here immediately.”

Now that was interesting. “A tracking spell”, she repeated, raising a brow. “I could have helped. Instead of being locked in a house to be attacked!”

This was the first time she noticed her brother standing by the door. Their eyes met for a brief moment, then Edward looked away.

“You’re here too”, Zelda noticed, suddenly feeling the old anger rising back to the surface. _Why was no one telling her anything?_ “Great family reunion”, she added.

Edward rolled his eyes, smiling a miserable smile. “I didn’t particularly enjoy last night either. A little more thankfulness that you’re still breathing, please.” He sounded all the more tense.

Faustus shot him a quick glance.

Something about this whole thing was off. “What’s wrong?” she wanted to know, eyes fixed on her husband. She could tell if he was lying, usually.

“Nothing”, he ensured her, quickly pressing a kiss to her temple. “We are just glad you’re awake, that’s all.” There was a short pause. “You scared us”, he added, but with a strange sort of undertone.

Zelda raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. He was lying, obviously. But all she wanted was to go home, forget this ever happened. “I need to get back to my coven”, she decided, beginning to slip to the edge of the bed.

Faustus held her back. “You should stay and rest”, he argued, but didn’t touch her. Like he was afraid something might happen.

Her brother didn’t say anything, just followed her every move with watchful eyes.

Slowly this was beginning to creep her out. “I’m teleporting home, you can do whatever you want”, she said with a quick look in Edward’s direction. “Have you told Diana to come back to Greendale?”

He nodded. “She’s on her way with Sabrina.”   
  
Zelda had really missed the little girl. She needed some light in her life after all this stress of the past days. It had really been quite the trial.

“I’ll take you home”, Faustus suddenly declared, like he had just found his voice again. He was really behaving more strangely than usual. “I don’t think it’s vital to hide here any longer.” His eyes met Edward’s over Zelda’s head for a moment, like he was trying to tell something. Something she wasn’t meant to pick up.

Then he took her hand in his, and barely a second later they were standing in his bedroom. Zelda took a deep breath, no longer feeling like she was being held captive. “Can we agree that this whole _lock her in a house until things are handled_ plan was stupid?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at her husband. “It didn’t really work out, did it?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You don’t make it easy for me.”   
  
A smile crept over her face, she couldn’t help it. After all she had missed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a short kiss to his lips. “I really need to speak to Marie. And get back to the Academy.” Things needed to go back to normal.

Faustus sighed, resting a hand on her lower back and drawing her closer. “You can do that later”, he whispered against her lips, before kissing her again.

She rested herself against him, fingers playing with the ends of his hair. “I’m High Priestess”, she breathed in between kisses. “I can’t just stay away forever.”

In response he chuckled, lips now against her neck. “They can do without you for a little while longer.”

Zelda sighed, really close to just giving in. What he was promising right now sounded so much better than returning to the Academy… “You’re terrible”, she muttered, allowing him to pull her towards the bed. “Always distracting me.”

Faustus laughed, pushing her down onto the sheets and pressing another kiss to her lips. His hands were tangled in her hair, pulling her as close as possible. Zelda wrapped her legs around his body, freeing him from his shirt.

His skin was hot against hers, Zelda shivering under his touch. _Oh how much she had missed this._ She pulled him even closer. “I love you”, she whispered, breathing rapidly.

Her husband pressed his lips against her neck, breath dancing over her skin. Then he kissed her lips, letting a finger run over her collarbone. “You know I love you more than the whole world.” His eyes were gleaming dark.

Zelda smiled, joining their lips again. Yet she had no idea how true those words were.

 

Faustus was standing in the hallway of the Academy of Unseen Arts, staring into the distance. His wife had run off the moment they had gotten here, wanting to call in a council meeting or something of the sorts. Now he was anxiously searching the crowds of people, looking for one very specific face.

Finally, Edward Spellman appeared. He was already approaching him, wearing a stern facial expression. “Where is my sister?” he greeted.

Faustus rolled his eyes. “At work, what did you think?” He could hardly blame her for just moving on like this. After all, she did not know the truth.

“I don’t like this”, Edward said now, frowning concerned. “She is bound to find out, you can not lie to her forever.”

He made a reassuring gesture. “It’s not supposed to be forever, just a couple weeks… until she’s better.”

The other warlock raised an eyebrow. “No need to pretend like this was not for a completely selfish reason, Faustus. _You_ are afraid Zelda will hate you for this, that’s why you’re postponing it!”

Perhaps that was true. She would hate him. This time maybe for real. He made a face. “I got this handled, don’t worry.”

Edward had a dark expression. “Like the last time you handled something?” It was obvious what was implied here. “It didn’t quite work out.”

“Zelda is alive and well”, Faustus hissed quietly, looking around himself if someone was listening. No one was even paying attention to the conversation. “I did what needed to be done.” Edward had yelled at him for about an hour after the Dark Lord had vanished, reciting everything about rules and laws and other reasons why he was a terrible person. In the end, it had not made any difference at all.

The other warlock clenched his jaw. “I would be rather worried if I were you”, he replied dimly. “As often as Zelda gets herself almost accidently killed…”

Faustus acknowledged the joke with a raised eyebrow, not wanting to think about that right now. On his part, that issue was far away. They wouldn’t die for a long time anyway, so what did it matter if they could not survive without each other? A life without Zelda had no meaning for him, anyway. Although he was aware that her view was very different regarding that topic. Which was why he was dreading the day the truth had to be revealed.

“The day will come and I will tell her the truth”, he told Edward now. “Just not at this point.”

Just in this moment Zelda slipped into the hall, interrupting the conversation. She smiled at Faustus, her eyes telling him a clear _can we speak alone._ He nodded briefly.

“Brother, can you give us a moment?” she asked, smiling the sweetest of smiles. “Please.”

Edward frowned ever so slightly, but nodded. “I’m home with Diana if there’s anything else”, he replied, before patting Zelda’s shoulder softly and leaving.

For some reason, Zelda looked restless. Almost nervous. Faustus felt her studying his face for a moment. “What happened?” he wanted to know, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Honestly, he still couldn’t believe that she was here. They both were here. Whenever he saw her, it felt unreal.

She bit her lip. “The minister is coming. Here.” One of her eyebrows arched up. “He wrote me a letter containing that information a couple of days ago, you did not happen to respond to that?”

Faustus sighed. “I didn’t actually.” That particular letter he seemed to have missed. Still there was the question why the minister would even come to such a place like Greendale. It was utterly boring, and definitely not something of interest to him. Unless… “Did he say what he wanted?” Faustus asked, suddenly anxious. There was only one thing in the Church of Night which was out of the ordinary.

“Me”, Zelda replied, glancing up to him. “He wants to meet me.”

So he had thought. Somehow, Faustus did not like that at all. And not simply out of jealousy. The minister was the most powerful figure in the witch community, he ruled over everything. If he didn’t like something, it was adapted. He always got what he wanted.

His wife was still eyeing him carefully. “What do you think he might want?”

Faustus frowned. “I don’t know.” He was definitely a dangerous man. “Nothing good, probably.” The only female High Priestess, that was a matter of interest. He had always wondered when the day might come and the minister would get interested in Zelda. Now it was here. “When does he arrive?”

Zelda sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Next week. Marie is all over it.”

Honestly, Faustus had quite the bad feeling about this. But he never said anything, only nodded and smiled reassuringly.


	12. Sirens

Zelda was sitting on the desk in her office, playing with a pen in her fingers. It was twenty past twelve, Monday morning. She looked over to her husband, who was pacing through the room with anticipation. He didn’t like this meeting at all, so much was obvious. She could feel his tension in the air.

Actually, she hadn’t much thought about what the minister could want. Probably check on her, how she was handling the Church of Night. What else could it be? Her gaze travelled back to Faustus, still pacing. For some reason, it was driving her insane. “Can you please stop?” she asked, running a hand through her hair.

Much unlike him he actually listened, looking over to her. Then he came towards her. “Zelda.” It sounded serious. He lifted her chin a little so she would look into his eyes. “The minister isn’t someone you cross, alright?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Her husband smirked a little, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Behave.” Another one to the tip of her nose. “Listen to me once in a while.”

Now that was offensive. “I always behave”, she argued, crossing her arms before her chest. “ _Especially_ when it’s someone important.”

Faustus looked everything but convinced, but just in this moment there was a knock on the door. He gave her one last look, which very clearly said _behave_ again, and then walked across the room to open the door.

Quickly Zelda jumped from the desk, smoothing out her dress. She had opted for a simple little black one, since she had not really been sure what to wear to a meeting with the most important warlock in the world.

Faustus guided a man into the room, who was accompanied by two other warlocks. However, it was obvious who the minister was, simply by looking at him. A rough power radiated off him, like he was gleaming from within. His dark eyes travelled to Zelda immediately, looking up and down her for a moment. She could imagine Faustus hating him already.

“Welcome to the Academy of Unseen Arts”, she broke the silence which had befallen the room, glancing over to her husband for help.

The minister smiled reserved, stepping closer. “Zelda Spellman…” His eyes had sprinkles of gold in them. “Delighted to finally meet you.” He shook her hand, gaze never leaving her. It was like he was reading her mind. _Perhaps he did._

She didn’t know what else to do but return the smile. “The delight is all mine, minister.” Again her eyes shifted to Faustus, who looked like he didn’t enjoy any part of this encounter at all.

But the minister now turned around, making a wide gesture. “I would like to have a moment alone with the High Priestess.” His glance lingered a moment too long on Faustus.

Zelda felt herself growing more anxious, leaning back against the table for support. This was not a conversation she would like to have.

The door fell shut and they were alone. The man turned back around, facing her. “I heard about some recent trouble with a few witch hunters.” There was no question behind the words. “They massacred the neighbouring coven.” Still no question.

She simply nodded. “You came all the way from the East Coast to tell me this?” Actually she had been trying to hold her tongue, but it was simply impossible. Good thing Faustus wasn’t here.

To her surprise, the man laughed. “I was told you have a sharp tongue.” His eyes were sparkling. “Indeed that was not the reason for my coming.” He looked around the room for a moment. “I came to see how a coven lead by a witch, the first witch in history to have claimed the High Priest title, could withstand such an attack when the Church of Shadows could not.”

Somehow, Zelda did not like what he was implying here. She simply smiled. “I did what I could to protect my people.”

If he believed her, it didn’t come across. He just kept talking like she hadn’t spoken at all. “But I heard you were quite powerful, so I decided to come and see for myself.” Very slowly, he stepped closer. “The Dark Lord showed me a revelation, a path of action.”

Zelda felt the urge to step back further, although the desk was limiting her space. This was becoming really weird. “I don’t think the Dark Lord cares about me very much, Minister”, she replied, keeping her voice calm and collected.

“Call me Michael”, he said, without a change in expression. “And I disagree. He does care.” His dark eyes sparkled all the more. “I actually came to make you an offer.”

Finally this was getting interesting. Zelda smiled politely. “Of course.”

Michael made a long pause, before resuming to speak. “You are the most powerful witch I have ever laid eyes on. I would very much like to have you working for me.” He smiled, but it never reached his eyes. “High Priestess is nothing in comparison to what New York has to offer.”

The offer took her by surprise, and for a second she didn’t know how to respond. _Working for the minister?_ Somehow she felt like this might be a trap. Or a plan, at least. Quickly she smiled again, although not sure if her charms even worked on him. “I would have to discuss that with my husband.”

“I thought so”, the minister replied, tilting his head a little. “Take your time.” He leaned forward, close enough for his breath to tickle her neck. “Choose wisely”, he said quietly. He reached into his pockets, playing a small metal object in her hand. “This will know when you’re ready.” Then he vanished into thin air.

Zelda stared into the empty air for another moment, wondering whether that had just really happened. Did he just really offer her a job? She made the door to the office open, hoping Faustus might still be outside. Naturally, she had been right.

Her husband entered the room, looking around himself. “Where did he go?”

“Teleported away”, Zelda replied with a shrug.

As usual, Faustus could tell what she was thinking. “What did he want?” he asked, coming closer and letting the door fall shut behind him. His hand reached for hers, until they were close enough to tough.

Zelda sighed. She was properly confused now. “He said I should come to New York and work for him.” Carefully she watched her husband’s expression.

He raised a brow. “ _Work for him_?” he repeated. “I don’t think working for someone else suits you all too well.” His fingers found the little metal object in her closed hands, taking it from her and examining it for a moment. “That’s a magic capsule”, he noted.

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t care what that is.” Still she took it back from him. The metal was gleaming in the dim light, Zelda watching the reflections for a moment. It had a strange sort of magic to it, old and ancient. “Can I open it?” she asked nonetheless.

Without looking at him, she knew Faustus was frowning. “The capsule is sealed with a spell, you can only open it if you solve it.” His tone was knowing, like he was already aware she would try and go there.

Zelda looked up, putting the capsule down on her desk. “I don’t like him. The minister.”

Obviously, her husband agreed on that. “Well, I don’t like him either”, he replied dimly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “But you always _have to_ wear these dresses when meeting strangers, do you?”

“Very funny”, she responded, smiling lightly. Faustus didn’t like anyone who looked at her for more than a second, so that was nothing unusual. “But I mean it. Something about him is off”, she added, more urgently now.

Her husband sighed, the sort of look on his face he only had when he knew exactly what she was about to do. And didn’t like it one bit. “You want to open the capsule.”

Obviously she did. “I will open it”, she corrected. Now she was all the more intrigued by that offer, although she would never admit it as of yet. Perhaps working for the most powerful warlock in the world wasn’t a bad thing… she could learn from him. Here in Greendale, her powers had sort of stagnated. She had not been able to perform new spells for years now.

“Did he say why he suddenly showed up here?” Faustus asked now, mindlessly playing with her hair. “After you have been High Priestess for years.”

For some reason, that question threw her off. Like there was a specific reason he asked, but she didn’t know what it was. Her mind travelled back to a week ago, how weird Faustus had behaved around her brother. “He said he heard about the Church of Night surviving the witch hunter attack”, she answered slowly, watching her husband’s expression carefully.

He frowned ever so slightly. “Anything else? Did he ask how we got rid of them?”

 _How did we get rid of them?_ Fairly enough, she didn’t quite remember. She shook her head. But the odd feeling remained. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?” Her eyes found his. “Something about that day?”

Faustus raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

If he was hiding something from her, he did it exceptionally well. She was no longer sure what he might he thinking. Her fingers were playing with the collar of his shirt. “You have that strange look on your face ever since”, she replied slowly, not quite knowing what else to call it. Almost every morning, she had woken up to discover Faustus looking at her with exactly that look, like she was water and about to slip through his hands every second. Like what they had was too fragile to keep.

“You’re imagining things”, he replied now, taking her face into his hands. “I’m just glad to have you back.” He kissed her gently, the slightest of brushes against her lips.

Zelda was still frowning, but relaxed a little against him. Although she couldn’t help but notice his tone of voice when saying _to have you back._ She had only been gone for a couple of days, and they had seen each other in between too. Was this just about missing her?

Still, she decided to drop the topic. He wouldn’t tell her anything right now, anyway. “Fine”, she muttered, smiling when he pressed a kiss to her neck. “I better go ahead and open that capsule.”

 

Faustus walked through the almost empty corridors of the Academy, only every now and then meeting on of his students. Hilda Spellman was one of the only ones who he spotted still sitting in the library, by the looks of it finishing up her homework. It was already dark outside, and he wondered if she was working on that essay she still had due for his class. With a two week extension, only because Zelda had persuaded him.

Suddenly he almost bumped into someone, immediately noticing that it was indeed the minister.

The other man looked at him for a moment, eyes piercing through him. “Faustus Blackwood”, he noted, a smirk around his lips.

Faustus could not remember ever having met the minister, but surely it was nothing out of the ordinary that he knew his name. He probably knew everyone’s name. “Minister”, he replied, tilting his head with respect.

“I always expected we might meet once you turn High Priest”, the minister mused, eyes sparkling. “But you didn’t complete the test.”

Somehow, those words reminded Faustus of someone else. The Dark Lord had said a similar thing. That was probably not a good sign at all. “My wife is the better fit”, he replied neutrally, trying not to emphasize the _wife_ too much. He had seen how the minister had looked at Zelda, it had been hard to miss. Only she never noticed.

The minister smiled, although it seemed forced. “You might claim that title once she decided to come to the East Coast with me.” He looked around himself. “Greendale has so terribly little to offer for a talented witch like her.” Something lied hidden behind the words. Faustus didn’t react, only tried to keep a neutral impression. Like the words didn’t make him angry.

The other warlock sighed, turning away to leave slightly. “I take my leave.” His dark eyes gleamed. “The Dark Lord sends his regards.”

But Faustus knew exactly what he had meant to imply here. _He knew._ A panic befell him, the sort of cold panic he never felt unless it was a matter concerning Zelda. If the minister knew, he was free to tell her. Just casually mentioning it, like the most normal thing in the world. And therefore throwing a grenade into their marriage.

Next thing he knew, the minister was pressed backwards against the wall, Faustus’ hands on his throat. Somehow, the man’s eyes were totally calm. Like he had expected this reaction. He didn’t even bother to react, but looked rather bored.

That drove Faustus even more mad. “Not a single word about this, to anyone.” He had meant to add including Zelda, but held himself back. Then he let go, like he had suddenly realized what he was even doing. Perhaps he had.

The minister raised an eyebrow. “ _Oh,_ she doesn’t know, does she?” A smile crept over his lips, a dangerous smile. “Interesting.” He smoothed out the front of his jacket. “I will keep your secret, but I want something in return.”

Now that had been expected. Faustus nodded shortly.

“Your wife will take that job. I don’t think she needs much convincing, but if she agrees, you will let her do however she pleases.” He made a pause. “No tricks, Blackwood, or your secret gets out.”

Like he could ever hold back Zelda from anything she had set her mind on. Still, Faustus nodded. “Of course”, he replied, feeling like he had just betrayed her all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, what do you think about faustus' decision to keep the secret & do you think zelda should take the job? <3


	13. Afraid of the Dark

Zelda was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the capsule lying in front of her. The cloud of cigarette smoke was reflecting in its clear surface, ever moving.

Suddenly the door was opened, and Zelda snapped out of her trance.

“Good morning”, Hilda muttered, eyes surrounded by dark circles. A yawn escaped her.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. “What happened to you?” she asked, eyes pinned on the books and papers her sister was carrying. “Is that demonology?”

She nodded, sitting down at the other end of the table. “I’m writing that essay for Professor Blackwood.” She hardly ever called him that, only if she was annoyed with something he had done in class.

Zelda sighed, leaning forward to study the book title. “You have a two week extension”, she remarked, reaching for the papers. Her sister’s handwriting was a mess as usual, but she had managed to write a few pages already. Better than nothing. After all, she had only gotten that extension because Zelda had asked her husband _very_ nicely.

Hilda huffed. “The topic is too difficult, I can’t do it!”

Now that was exaggerated. “How many more words?” Zelda wanted to know, putting the paper down. The essay was due later today, she knew as well as Hilda.

Her sister yawned again. “Two hundred. But I feel asleep last night and couldn’t finish.” She bit her lip. “And now I have class all morning.”

“In Satan’s name”, Zelda muttered, putting out her cigarette. She knew very well what her sister was asking. “I can’t always write your essays!” Demonology was not a hard subject anyway, and Hilda had the advantage of Faustus being her teacher. Who was extra soft with her.

Her sister had eventually noticed the capsule on the table. “What’s that?” she asked, reaching for it. She turned the metal around in her hand.

Zelda shrugged. “That’s what I’m trying to find out, if I wouldn’t be busy writing your essays for you.” She flicked her wrist, a pen appearing in her hand. Faustus was currently showering, and she should better use that time to get this done. He wouldn’t be pleased if he knew.

Hilda gasped. “Thank you!” she sighed, running a hand through her undone hair. “I better get upstairs and ready.”

“It’s the last time”, Zelda told her sister with a stern look, very well aware it probably was not.

Just when Hilda had slipped out of the room, Edward came in, coffee mug in one and paper in the other hand. “Good morning”, he greeted, putting both down on the table before sitting down. “What are you doing?”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Saving my sister’s grade”, she replied, flicking through the pages of the books with a spell to find the one she needed to quote. Gladly it was a lot quicker this way.

Her brother took a look at the capsule, examining it closely. “A magic capsule”, he remarked, like he was the only person possibly coming to that conclusion.

“You don’t say”, Zelda said dryly, gaze fixed on the paper. She didn’t fancy discussing the matter with her brother right now.

Edward seemed to disagree. “Where did you get this? It has very powerful spells tied to it.”

She shot him a look. “The minister gave it to me.” The spell had indicated a certain page of the book, so she quickly opened it and added a quote. Good thing she was married to the Professor, so she knew what he was looking for. While she was on it, she fixed the rest of Hilda’s quotations as well. Couldn’t hurt.

“The _minister_?” her brother echoed, like he had not understood correctly. “Why would he do such a thing?”

Zelda rolled her eyes, continuing to write. Upstairs the shower was turned off. “I suppose he wants me to open it.” So much was obvious. She just wasn’t sure if she was ready for what might lay inside. “I borrowed some of your books on the topic”, she added, without ever looking up from Hilda’s essay. Not that it had gotten her any further, since she had not found the right spell anyway. She would have to check the Academy’s library too. Finally, she put the pen down.

In the same moment the door was opened again, her husband coming in. Quickly Zelda snipped her fingers, letting the essay disappear from the table. It was now lying upstairs on Hilda’s desk.

Faustus’ eyes noticed the capsule immediately, like some dark shadow hanging over their heads. He placed a kiss on top of Zelda’s head, already wearing the worried frown he had when it came to most of her ideas. “Hard at work I see”, he commented.

“What exactly did the minister want?” Edward asked, question directed at both of them.

Zelda hesitated. She glanced over to Faustus, who was acting like he hadn’t heard a thing and was purring himself coffee. Sighing, she lit herself a new cigarette, earning a disapproving look from her brother. “He wants me to work for him.”

Edward’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Immediately he looked over to Faustus, who looked a lot less concerned that he usually would have. He was silently sipping his coffee. “But you turned him down _politely,_ didn’t you?”

She bit her lip. “Well”, she began, but was interrupted.

“Zee, come on!” her brother insisted. “You don’t know this man.” Again, a glance to Faustus, like he was expecting help here. Her husband never said a word.

Zelda took a stubborn drag from her cigarette, patting off the ash softly. “I don’t have to know him to work for him”, she argued. “I’m sure he could teach me a lot. It’s not like my powers are growing here in Greendale.”

Edward did not look convinced. “They don’t have to grow. You’re powerful enough.”

She shrugged. “Is anyone ever _powerful enough?”_ Behind her, Faustus put the coffee mug down loudly. He appeared to be particularly tense this morning. Zelda turned around, eyes fixed on her husband. “Are you okay?” she wanted to know. It was unusual that they had not fought about the job thing yet, usually he would be all over it by now.

“Perfect”, Faustus muttered dimly, glancing over to the clock. “I need to get going.” There was something about the way he was acting she didn’t quite understand. “Is Hilda’s essay done?” he added now.

Zelda raised an eyebrow, smiling an innocent smile. “How would I know?”

For a moment, her husband was smirking. “Like she wrote it herself.”

Still wondering how he might have figured _that,_ Zelda put out her cigarette and got up from her chair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Normally she would have kissed him now, as a sort of topic change, but he had already left. For a moment, she remained standing in the middle of the room, wondering what was wrong with him.

“Don’t forget this”, Edward interrupted her thoughts, handing her the magic capsule. “Good luck digging your own grave.” He shot her a look which was a lot angrier than she would have expected, and left the room.

Zelda ran a hand through her hair, wondering what bigger thing was going on right now and why she had no idea what was happening.

 

It was midday when Zelda returned to her office from the library. She had spent a good two hours piling through books with the help of spells, searching for any mentioning of capsules like the one she has. Finally, she had found a spell which should work. If she was able to pull it off.

Carefully she put the metal object down on her desk, watching it for another moment. Then she recited the spell, slowly to not stumble over the words. It was ancient magic, much more powerful than the average spell she would usually use. The magic kept flaring through the room, filling its air.

But nothing happened. For a moment, she thought she must have failed. Perhaps she was not that powerful of a witch after all.

Then suddenly, a clicking sound. Seconds later the capsule fell apart, its metal seeming to melt away into the table. Zelda stared at the happening, unable to move. She felt like being pinned in place by invisible wires. The desk was empty now.

Next thing she knew it was dark around her, and she felt like falling. Falling through time, through space. It was like Astral Projection, only without the control. Somehow, it reminded her of the trip to hell during the test to become High Priestess. _Was this another test?_

Things cleared out in front of her eyes, light returned and swallowed the darkness. Zelda felt light, transparent, like she wasn’t really there. It seemed to be some sort of vision. Perhaps she should have continued to read the spell up to the end.

She stood in a clearing, around her the shadows of trees. Somewhere a raven was screaming. And then the sky went dark, sending lightning over her head. Rain fell, but never touched her.

The scenery changed, now she was inside. In front of her was a huge throne, made entirely out of bones. It was similar to the one they had in the Academy for the Feast of Feasts, only much larger and shimmering in black. People were standing around it, a few meters away from Zelda but too far to notice any faces. Someone emerged from the crowd, clothed entirely in black. With a shock she realized it was herself, just in this moment sitting down atop of the throne. Her golden hair was shining in the light of a thousand candles.

Again everything changed, and she was standing back inside the Academy. Only a few paces away the minister stood, talking to someone who apparently was her again. They shook hands, Zelda seeing the frozen smile on her own face. _I will love working for you,_ her lips formed.

And then she was back in her office, collapsing onto the ground because for a moment, she was too confused to do anything else. There was no other sound than her breathing.

Zelda closed her eyes for a second, wondering whether she had just hallucinated or really seen a vision of some sort. She was hoping for the latter. But for some reason, it didn’t give her any consolation. _Why had she sat on that throne?_ She didn’t even know what sort of throne it was. Visions worked in metaphors, of course, but still… it had some meaning. Especially since she had just watched herself accepting that job.

A knock on the door interrupted her, reminding her where she was. Hastily she got up from the floor, although her legs still felt everything but steady. “Come in”, she called, smoothing out her dress.

To her surprise Faustus slipped inside, carrying a number of papers. “I have the graded demonology essays here if you want to take a look”, he said, breaking off as his eyes found hers. “What’s wrong?”  
Of course he could tell. Zelda quickly looked the other way, making herself busy by taking the essays away from him. “I opened the capsule”, she replied, skipping through the pages to find Hilda’s. She was curious about the grade, or at least pretended to be.

“What?” he replied, reaching for her wrist to stop her from turning away. “You’re just mentioning that casually?” He wrapped his arms around her waist, like to prevent her from slipping away. “What was inside?”

She bit her lip. “Nothing”, she lied, while looking directly into his eyes. “It just opened.” Actually she was not sure why she was even lying, but he had been acting to odd lately that she didn’t feel like trusting him with this at the moment.

For a few seconds her husband seemed to doubt her, but then his arms released her and he nodded. “That’s strange, don’t you think so?”

Zelda shrugged, finally having found Hilda’s test. She raised an eyebrow at the grade. “C? Come on, it was good!” It was still better than her sister’s usual demonology grade, but still… she felt a little offended. Besides it was a welcome change of topic.

“I couldn’t give her an A for something you wrote”, Faustus replied, looking around the room. Like he was searching for something.

She huffed. “I only wrote the last couple of paragraphs”, she tried to argue, putting the paper down. At least now her sister would pass this course. It was the only one which still made her struggle, all the other ones were going well by now.

Her husband smiled lightly. “I know. And corrected her mistakes from earlier.”

Apparently he knew her too well. Zelda bit her lip. “Maybe.” The visions were still dancing through her head like smoke. “I made a decision about working for the minister”, she suddenly said, without much further thinking. “I want to do it.” _Want_ was perhaps too strong of a word, but she felt the need to go through with this now.

Faustus looked at her for a moment in silence, before eventually nodding. “I knew you would”, he replied, with a certain resignation in his voice.

Now this was truly odd. Usually, he for sure would have argued against it. Or at least shown some sort of disapproval.

Zelda raised a brow. “That’s it? No marriage crisis following?” It was meant to be a joke, but barely came out as one.

Her husband sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You do what you want, anyway. No matter what I say.” There was a hint of sadness in the words. He tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “Besides you know I’ve always wanted to be High Priest.” Now he was smirking, but the joke was hardly convincing.

Again, Zelda was wondering what was going on with him. Since when they were keeping secrets. Then again, the last time she had told him a plan he had run to Edward, so naturally her trust was a little damaged. “I need to work”, she said, a little apologetic.

Faustus kissed her temple lightly, before turning to the door. “Don’t forget we are babysitting Sabrina tonight”, he remarked. “She wants to see the little mermaid.”

Zelda made a face. “Great”, she muttered, watching her husband leave. A Disney film was just what she needed right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise theres lots of drama coming up, so be ready for that! <3


	14. Bad Guy

They finished the film at 9pm, Sabrina beaming with happiness at the ending and declaring the little mermaid to be her new favourite Disney movie. Zelda on the other hand had fallen asleep during the first half, head rested against Faustus’ shoulder, and he had not had the heart to wake her. And so he had tucked Sabrina into bed himself, leaving his wife on the couch downstairs.

He was just coming back downstairs, when the door was opened and Edward slipped inside. Diana was visiting her parents at the moment, and Edward had been at the Academy hosting a conjuring test until this hour, which was why Sabrina had needed a babysitter.

“Sabrina is asleep”, Faustus explained, making a gesture towards the stairs. “We watched the little mermaid.”

Edward raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. He glanced inside the living room. “I hope you told her that taking this job is madness.” He switched topics without transition, but it was clear who and what he meant.

Guilt was piling up inside Faustus. He had said nothing about Zelda’s plan, not even tried to reason with her. Only nodded and moved on. Just like the minister had wanted. “She already decided”, he said in Edward’s direction, eyes fixed on his wife who was still sound asleep.

The other warlock turned around. “Did she?” he echoed, frowning. “Don’t tell me this is because you want to be High Priest.”

Faustus sighed. That was not the reason, definitely not. Although it was a decent excuse for Zelda. “No”, he answered firmly. “She never listens to me anyway, what did you expect?” After all the last time he had wanted to help, he had locked her in a house on the countryside. That had done absolutely nothing for his marriage.

“Come on”, Edward continued to argue. “You can’t tell me _you_ didn’t notice how he was staring at her. He doesn’t want her there because of a job!” He was trying to push Faustus’ buttons, quite frankly.

Unfortunately it worked. “I don’t like this either”, he hissed, quiet enough not to disturb Zelda. That was the last thing he needed right now. “But it’s her decision.”

Edward huffed. “Staying in town and taking down those witch hunters would have been her decision too, you didn’t care back then.”

“And where did that get us in the end?” Faustus muttered. “She died. Great plan.” Ultimately his protectiveness had been the reason she was hurt. And he needed to make that right again.

Something hushed over the other warlock’s face, a dark shadow. Edward was still frowning. “She has no idea she died. If she knew, perhaps she would finally learn to stop putting her life on the line.” It sounded regretful. _We should have just told her,_ his eyes said.

But Faustus knew how his wife got, and carefulness was not one of her strengths. And he had always loved that about her. “I better get her upstairs”, he changed the subject, turning away from Edward. “Goodnight.”

He didn’t get a reply, but didn’t wait for one either. Carefully he picked Zelda up from the sofa, who muttered something in her sleep and curled up against his chest. It made him smile a little. Then he teleported them up to her room, putting her down underneath the covers of her bed.

For a moment he just watched her, striking a few golden curls away from her face. Suddenly she was stirring, lids flickering open. “Why aren’t you in bed?” she whispered, yawning a little.

He chuckled, lying down next to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “You look cute when you’re asleep, you know.” Perhaps the only time Zelda might ever be described as _cute._

“No I don’t”, she protested weakly, resting her head on his chest. Then she was asleep again.

Faustus pressed a kiss to her hair, wondering what he had ever done to deserve her. Or why he was currently in the middle of ruining it.

 

It was shortly after dawn when Zelda awoke, feeling her husband’s warm body against hers and for just a moment, considering just to stay in bed for a little longer. But then she carefully rolled away, out of his arms. She sat up, fingers combing through her hair briefly. Her eyes found Faustus again, suddenly feeling sorry. Sorry for lying, for pulling away. For still being angry about what he had done.

She slipped out of the bed, snipping her fingers and getting dresses. Now she was clothed in yet another black dress, ending just above her knees. A little more modesty was advised probably.

One last look at her husband, who was still sound asleep, and then she teleported away.

It was easier than expected to break through the spells which protected the ministry, supposed to keep people from teleporting inside. Zelda had the impression that who ever created them didn’t care much about them actually working.

She looked around herself, trying to figure out where exactly she was in the ministry. Around her a huge hall stretched, much bigger than the Academy’s. Elevators and stairs left from each side, leading to the upper floors. A basement did not seem to exist, unless she was standing in it. Her eyes were still working to process all of the new information, when suddenly a voice called from behind her.

“Interesting”, someone said, and she turned around to see the minister’s face. _Michael’s_ face. He looked exactly the same as the day before. “I take this as a yes to my job offer.”

She smiled carefully, again looking around. “Your defence spells are not very good”, she replied, raising a brow. “Anyone can get in here.”

A smirk twisted around his lips. “Walk with me?” he offered, already beginning to cross the room.

Zelda hurried to join him. “What exactly is this _job_ you are talking about?” she wanted to know, having asked herself that ever since she had first heard of it. What would she have to do, should she really agree?

He never looked at her, but continued to study their surroundings. It was all an act. “Improve the defence spells, first thing”, he replied jokingly, although it didn’t come across. Suddenly he stopped. “Be my second in command, essentially.”

Zelda gave her best attempt to look unbothered. “You don’t know me”, she remarked. “Why would you give me that position?”

The smile was back on his lips. “Consider it a gift. To the first female High Priestess.”   
  
Obviously, he was trying to talk himself out of it. There was a different reason, something he wasn’t saying. _And she was going to find out what it was._

He offered her a hand. “To your new position.” It was everything but a question. He knew she had decided before coming here.

Zelda returned the smile, taking his hand. “I feel honoured.” The lie went easy across her lips.

“Tell me”, he changed the subject smoothly, continuing to walk. “How did you manage to complete the test of the seven back then?” His eyes scanned hers. “Your Council hardly deemed it possible.”

She thought about the answer for a few seconds. “It appears I am simply gifted”, she answered eventually, trying to sound modest enough. “Besides I see no reason why a witch should not be allowed High Priestess.”

The hint of a smirk was still on the minister’s lips. “Of course not”, he agreed, but it sounded like empty words. He did not truly believe it. “History has been proven wrong many times.” There was a short pause. “The number of witches taking the test of the seven has indeed risen since your… appointment”, he noted, giving her a quick glance. As if to check her reaction.

Zelda was beginning to wonder what he really wanted from her. Checking defence spells was one thing, but this conversation was taking an odd turn.

“Your husband will take over your role as headmaster of the Academy I assume?” Michael added, before she had the chance to even answer.

She nodded quickly. “Of course.” Faustus would finally get his wish to be High Priest, if not in name. But he would have the Academy all to himself now, something he was probably happier about then he let on. Or perhaps not. She didn’t know anymore.

They had taken a different corridor now, away from the great hall. “Have you ever seen our throne room?” the minister asked, leading the way. A flick of his wrists, and a pair of huge doors opened.

Instantly, Zelda felt a sense of deja vu. She was standing in front of the throne of bones from her vision, just this time it was empty. Candles were lighting up the room, shadows dancing across the walls and floor. It was impossible to tell how big it was.

“I was appointed minister in this room”, Michael said, in a certain tone of voice. _Did he know what had happened with the capsule?_

Zelda turned towards him. “I opened your capsule”, she noted, smiling innocently. Trying to let her charms do the words.

He raised an eyebrow. “I figured you would.” His gaze was fixed on her. “What was inside?” It sounded genuinely interested, like he really didn’t know.

Perhaps it was different for everyone. “Nothing”, she replied, praying to the Dark Lord that he could not tell the lie. “There was nothing.”

“Shame”, Michael remarked, visibly thinking about something. He appeared lost in thought. “I have never opened that particular one myself.” It might have been the truth, or maybe also a lie. She didn’t know. “But I thought I could trust you with a challenge.”

Zelda was still smiling, wondering whether that lie had been the smartest choice. Perhaps she should have come up with something else. “You expected me to open it?” she recalled. _Why her, if he had not managed?_

The minister’s eyed darkened a little. “I want to know who I bring inside my ministry”, he replied smoothly, like he had planned the response beforehand. It was beginning to really make Zelda wonder what was going on.

Honestly, she really wanted to get out of here. Get some fresh air. A cigarette, preferably. “So”, she concluded, stopping. “I should get to my coven.”

The minister smiled at her, his eyes gleaming. “Of course. Make your arrangements.” Something lingered in his eyes, but he never said anything else. Only turned away and left her standing alone.

Zelda took a deep breath, before teleporting back to the Academy.

Her office was empty, and the air felt a lot better than in the ministry. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her fingers longed for a cigarette, lighting it and simply drawing in the smoke for a moment. Something was wrong about this. _Something_ he was hiding. She just needed to find out what it was.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She rolled her eyes at the sound, but picking up nonetheless.

Faustus was on the other hand. “You disappeared this morning”, he greeted her, making it sound accusing.

“I had places to be”, Zelda muttered, not wanting to elaborate on this at the present time.

Her husband was silent for a moment. “Great, because I need your help”, he eventually said. “Can you come to my place? Right now. It’s sort of urgent.”

This was the last thing she needed. Zelda sighed. “I am currently in the middle of something-”, she meant to argue, but was interrupted.

“Trust me on this, it _is_ urgent!”he repeated. “Just teleport here.”

She nodded, wondering what might be this important that she needed to be there right away. Perhaps a demon attack or something along those lines. “I’ll be there”, she replied, before hanging up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't proof read, but i wanted to upload it before i go to bed so here it is <3 let me know what you think!


	15. Embers

Zelda appeared in the kitchen of Blackwood manor, already slightly annoyed. She hated surprised, especially unpleasant ones. “Faustus?” she asked into the silence, making her way into the hallway.

He was standing there, staring into the empty air. His gaze moved when he noticed her. “We need to talk.”

“Do we?” she remarked, crossing her arms. “If this is about the minister or the job or anything, it’s too late and I also don’t want to hear it.” Her voice was firm.

Her husband hesitated. Thought about what to say. “It is not”, he eventually replied. “I need to tell you something, I should have done so days ago, I-”

One of the windows exploded.

Zelda shrieked back, stepping further into the house. “Was that you?” she asked carefully, already knowing the answer. She stepped closer to the broken window, glancing outside. The front porch was empty, but the shards of glass were covered with black slime. _Demon slime._ “That’s just marvellous”, she muttered, turning around to her husband. “What is a demon doing here?”

Faustus looked just as lost as her. “I have no idea, but I don’t want it to demolish any of my furniture.” He was barely even smirking.

Somewhere upstairs, another window broke, followed by the sound of scratching and breaking. Zelda sighed. “I’ll check upstairs.” She was on her way to the stairs, when he reached for her wrist.

“We’re not splitting up!” he argued, holding her back. Like he was scared to let her go.

Now this was beginning to get on her nerves. “I can handle a demon, don’t worry”, she replied, loosening herself from his grip. “Besides this way we can cover more ground.”

There was something in his eyes which made her wonder what had been _so_ important to tell her that she needed to rush here right away, but she didn’t have time to ask. Not with a demon running through the house… She made her way upstairs, checking the bedroom first. A window was broken and the wood of the floor was scratched, covered in more black liquid.

Carefully she knelt down, studying the damage. She had no idea what sort of demon it might be, since her husband was the demonology expert, not herself. Her eyes scanned the room, listening in into the new silence. There was not a single sound in the entire house.

Quickly she went through every room on the upstairs floor, finding nothing else. The rest seemed perfectly undisturbed.

Honestly, Zelda was beginning to wonder how this could even be possible. Demons did not just run around, causing trouble. They either had to be bound to an object and then freed or summoned straight from hell. And neither was a possibility here… unless Faustus was lying to her, what she did not hope might be the case.

She made her way downstairs again, stopping in the hallway. Where had he gone? “Faustus?” she asked carefully, half expecting the demon to jump at her any moment. No reply. This was beginning to really freak her out. Just out of a feeling, she walked over to the phone hanging on the wall, dialling the number of her brother’s office.

Naturally, he did not pick up, but the phone went straight to voice mail. “Edward”, Zelda began, looking around herself. Steps were echoing through the silence. “We have a little demon problem at Faustus’ place, come here as fast as possible, alright?” She hung up, praying to Satan that her brother’s lessons might end early and he went back to his office. They could really need some help here.

Just in this moment Faustus stepped into the hallway. But something was different. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but something appeared to have changed. Her heartbeat quickened immediately. She had a _really_ bad feeling about all of this.

Then his eyes met hers, and she almost choked on her own breathing. His iris was glowing bright red. “In Satan’s name”, Zelda whispered, feeling panic rise within her. The demon was _inside_ him. Now that was an unfortunate circumstance. She tried to think, come up with a spell which might help. But she hesitated. Hesitated to use a spell against her own husband. “Faustus”, she said carefully, wondering suddenly whether he was even still alive.

“Your husband is gone”, the demon sneered, beginning to approach her. “It is only me now!”   
Zelda found that hard to believe. She took a few steps back, feeling the wall limiting her chances of escape. Still no spell wanted to leave her lips. _Please Edward, please come…_ she couldn’t do this on her own.

The demon had reached her, its eyes burning like fire. Out of a sudden his hands were around her throat, slamming her backwards into the wall.

Zelda felt a sharp pain when her airway was blocked, but she never resisted. All she felt was a cold resignation. She couldn’t do it. Spells moved through her head, all the ones she could use to free herself, but her lips wouldn’t open. She was gasping for air, staring into her husband’s foreign eyes. Even if she had wanted to, she wouldn’t have been able to speak. Not now. It was too late.

But she needed to get this demon out of him… With the last little functioning bit of her brain, she made the curtains near the window light up. The cracked quietly when the fire longed for them.

Nearly a second, the demon was distracted. His hands around her throat loosened, as he was watching the flames rise. It was enough for Zelda to teleport away, to the other end of the hallway. She was still gasping for air, having to lean against the wall in order to keep standing. Her throat was burning. _This was so not what she had expected._ Not wanting to light up the entire manor, she stopped the fire. The smell of smoke in the air remained.

By now, Zelda was close to tears. She didn’t know what to do anymore.

Just this second, the door was opened. Edward stepped into the hallway, looking every bit as confused as Zelda felt. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again as the demon turned towards him, eyes flashing red. “Oh Satan”, he remarked, glancing at his sister. “This is your _little_ demon problem?”

“Do we have to do an exorcism?” she asked, eyes following the demon. Actually, she would rather not do that.

Her brother nodded, remaining close to the door. “I suppose we do.”

The demon laughed. “You will never win, stupid witches”, he hissed, eyes gleaming. “The little witch couldn’t even fight me off!”

Edward gave her a questioning look. “What does he mean?” he wanted to know, looking in between his sister and the demon.

Zelda chose to ignore the question for now. “Do you know how to do this?” she asked, trying to act like she was pure determination. Which felt like a lie. Because if her brother had not shown up, she would probably have just surrendered and wait for her own death. _What kind of witch did that make her?_

“I know the spell”, Edward confirmed, holding out his right hand already. “Follow my words. I can’t do it on my own.”

She nodded, following the instructions. It was hard not to look at her husband while doing it. Not to look at the demon.

Suddenly the air changed, filled with the magic of the spell. Edward was speaking loudly, Zelda following about a second later. She was trying hard to focus her attention. Wind was rising around them, like a sudden storm. The demon screamed, tumbling backwards.

“It works”, Edward was letting her know, continuing to list names of ancient witches who were supposed to give assistance.

The demon was struggling against the spell, Zelda feeling its movement. She was watching him with caution, as out of a sudden, its eyes changed. Now she was staring into her husband’s eyes, the deep colour his iris usually had. The words died on her lips. He was screaming for help.

“Zee, come on!” her brother yelled, like to snap her out of the vision. “It’s influence is growing stronger!”

She tore her eyes away, closing them for a moment to be able to continue with the words. _This was not Faustus._ It would only be him again if she completed the spell.

Next thing she knew the demon gave a last final scream, and then the wind stopped. Like nothing had ever happened. A depressing silence followed. Zelda did not dare to look away. Then Faustus collapsed onto the ground.

For a second it was as if her world had stopped moving. She knelt down next to him, checking for a pulse. Her fingers were trembling.

Edward’s expression was frozen, but his eyes were clouded with worry. And panic. “Zelda, listen-”, he began, but she didn’t listen. Didn’t even hear the words.

He could not be dead, could he? Zelda had always thought she might _feel_ it, the moment it happened. Like a tear in her heart. But she felt absolutely nothing. Just numbness everywhere. She didn’t find a pulse, but that didn’t have to mean anything. A healing spell, she would heal him. It was easy, she just had to…

Edward kept talking, some of the words reaching her ears but her brain not translating them. She didn’t care, couldn’t care right now.

Quickly Zelda began to recite the healing spell, her voice trembling over each syllable. She was afraid her lips might stop working every second.

“Zee, it’s too late, it won’t work!” her brother argued, trying to draw her attention. “We need to go, I mean it, I need to get you to a hospital before it’s too late!”

She had no idea what he was talking about, and she didn’t want to know. “Shut up”, she hissed, continuing to recite the words. It would work, it had too… He wasn’t dead.

Edward looked like tearing up any second. “There’s no pulse, Zelda, there’s nothing you can do. He is dead!”

The magic of the spell was growing stronger, surrounding her, burying anything else. Edward’s voice was growing smaller, quiet, until there was only silence. Zelda closed her eyes, resting her hands on Faustus’ not-beating heart. _She could do this._ The last words of the spell were hanging in the air, when she kept repeating them, begging the Dark Lord to have mercy on her and make them work. By now she felt like physically pulling at the spell, tearing her husband’s soul back into this life. _It couldn’t be too late, it couldn’t._ It was hurting her by now, making every fibre of her body burn. But she refused to let go, refused to give up like this.

The magic was prickling on her skin, swirling around her. One second she was in the manor, one second in the afterlife. The lines were blurred, waving around her. She saw a light in front of her eyes, reached for it, pulled back. _This was not the end._ Everything was hurting, when she forcefully pulled herself back into this dimension.

For a second she saw Edward again, his eyes pleading, lips moving. Then she let go, and the spell collapsed around her. And then there was only darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think of this, its my personal favourite chapter yet!


	16. To be Human

Zelda dreamt, for a long time. She saw her wedding day again, herself walking down the aisle. Faustus and herself on their honeymoon, all the cities they had visited. Tokyo, Dubai, New York City.

Then very suddenly, everything was dark again. Her senses seemed to return, and the heavy weight which had pressed her eyes shut earlier disappeared. Carefully, her lids flickered open.

For a moment it was too bright to see, her head feeling like she had been run over by a car. Zelda blinked a few times, before she was able to see anything. She let out a surprised gasp, noticing who was sitting beside her. “I am dead”, she concluded, voice only a faint whisper. _Why did she feel so tired?_

Faustus leaned forward, his lips brushing her forehead. “No, you’re very much alive.”

Her brain took a moment to understand, attempting to put the pieces back together. She had been on the other side, in the other realm… _a bright light._ Like the mortals liked to say.

Zelda sat up, feeling her husband’s worried glances on herself. “You died”, she whispered, reaching out to touch him. Was he really here? Or was it yet another dream. She felt sleepy, like drifting off any moment.

He sighed, kissing her temple and carefully making her lie back in the pillows. “You need some more sleep.” His eyes were deep with concern. No trace of the demon was left. “I’ll explain everything once you wake up.”   
  
Normally Zelda had meant to protest, but her eyes fell shut before she could even open her mouth.

This time, she slept without a single dream.

 

The sun creeping through the curtains woke her, this time the tiredness in her bones seemed gone without a trace. Zelda sat up straight, looking around herself in her bedroom. Slowly she slipped out of the bed, running a hand through her hair. She was properly confused. _Faustus was alive._

But he had been dead. There had been no pulse. And she had used a simple healing spell, not performed a resurrection. That made absolutely no sense. Without hesitation, she left the room and hurried downstairs, hoping to find her answers there.

She barked into the kitchen without any warning, interrupting Edward and Diana at breakfast. Her brother choked on his coffee when he saw her, dropping the paper at once. Diana came to hug her, nearly suffocating her, which was weird enough for the day. “Where’s Faustus?” Zelda demanded to know, crossing her arms. She was not going to put of this conversation any longer.

Her brother looked suddenly uncomfortable. “I send him home. He needed to catch up on some sleep.”

 _Did he?_ Zelda bit her lip. “How long since the exorcism?” Diana shrieked a little at the word, spilling some coffee.

Edward picked up the fallen paper. “Two days”, he replied dryly.

“Two days?” she echoed, like she had suddenly lost her sense of hearing. What had happened in that time? “I’m going to Blackwood manor”, she decided. Her husband had a whole lot of explaining to do.

Diana smiled a nervous smile. “You should rest some more, Zelda”, she attempted to argue, clutching at the coffee mug like it was a lifeline. Did she know what was going on here?

Surprisingly, her brother didn’t object. Only stared into his coffee depressingly, stirring it around with a spoon.

Without another word Zelda teleported away, appearing right in the middle of Faustus’ bedroom. She looked around herself, just the moment he walked in from the bathroom. For a second he simply stared at her, jaw slightly dropped. Like he couldn’t believe she was real.

Zelda had a similar feeling, since the last time she had seen him he had been _dead_ in front of her. Her anger had suddenly moved to the back of her mind.

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but he had already occupied her lips with hers. His hands were in her hair, drawing her closer. Zelda felt like melting into his arms, just for a little while, forget all the things which had happened.

But then she remembered, and pulled away. She was gasping for air, turning away. It was getting too much. “What in Satan’s name happened?” she wanted to know, sinking down on the edge of the bed. Standing seemed too much of a challenge right now.

Faustus’ expression was all regret. “There are so many things, I should have told you sooner, I wanted to before the demon attack…” He took a deep breath. “Two days ago, I died. But you used a healing spell to bring me back.” His voice was strained, tense.

She objected. “That’s not possible.”

Their eyes met. “It shouldn’t have been.” Her husband shook his head. “But your brother was there with you. He told me you spoke the spell and held onto it, basically pulling my soul back from the other realm.” More regret. “Almost killing yourself in the process.”

Too stubborn for her own good apparently, as usual. Zelda swallowed hard. This was not how it was supposed to be, this was not normal. Healing spells did not work once the heart had stopped beating. They couldn’t. “There’s more”, she continued, gaze never leaving Faustus. “What did you mean to tell me before the demon came?”

He clenched his jaw, turning away slightly. “I only meant to protect you.” It was an apology. “I wanted to give you time.” He sighed deeply. “After the witch hunter shot you, you were dead. You bled to death in my arms.” Now his voice was audibly shaking.

Zelda felt a shudder creeping over her back, like a sudden knowing. Perhaps she _had_ known all along. “Oh Faustus”, she whispered, a sense of doom already in the words. “What did you do?” Now she was expecting the worst. Necromancy, playing with death… that was dark magic. Much darker than anything one should ever touch.

He didn’t dare to look at her. “I summoned the Dark Lord. Asked for a Satanic favour.”

Zelda closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly feeling like her life was falling apart. _This was the worst you could do._ If she hadn’t been so shocked by the input of information, she had been angry. So she didn’t say anything.

Her husband seemed to understand her silence as a sign to continue. “He agreed to bring you back under one condition.” He took a ragged breath. “We are bound together, in life and death. One of us dies, so does the other.”

For a moment everything was quiet. Not even the birds were chirping. Zelda stared at him in disbelief. “ _And you just decided that?”_ she hissed back, standing up from the bed. She had heard enough. “You just decided that from now on, I won’t be able to live without you?” Her heartbeat was racing.

If anything, Faustus looked truly sorry. “You had just died, what did you expect me to do? Move on with my life?”

“Everything but call in a Satanic favour, that’s the worst thing you can do!” she replied, feeling her own voice growing louder. A sudden panic had befallen her. This was _really_ bad. Faustus might be of the opinion dying in union was a heroic thing, but she liked to disagree with that. “What if we had children?” she asked, crossing her arms to hide the fact that she was shaking. “Something happens to one of us and they’re orphans.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like this anymore than you do, I didn’t choose this, I only-”   
Zelda interrupted. “You did choose it”, she objected. There was a tiny voice in her brain whispering that she was being unfair, unreasonable, that her reaction now had been the reason he had been keeping secrets in the first place. But she ignored it.

Her husband huffed. “It was either you living or dying, do you think I truly had a choice?” Carefully he approached her. “You don’t know what I felt like.”

But she knew. Two days earlier, she had known. The sudden realisation silenced her, her anger slowly fading. She would have done the exact same. No matter how she liked to tell herself that she was better, that she could live on her own if need be, it wasn’t true. Faustus had been dead, and she had known, but still attempted a healing spell which very likely could have killed her as well. Zelda pressed her lips together, trying very hard not to tear up at the spot.

Of course Faustus noticed, reaching for her hand.

She pulled away, taking a step back. “So you believe this bond is the reason why I was able to save you?” she asked, busy hiding the tears building up in her eyes. Quickly she blinked them away.

Her husband nodded mindlessly, his eyes fixed on her. “I do believe that.”

Zelda took a deep breath. “Anything else?” She was able to look at him again. “Any other lies, half-truths, whatever? Better say them now because if I find out anything else I swear on Satan I will-” She never finished, but he got the idea.

Faustus looked positively terrified. Perhaps a little admiring. “The minister knows”, he blurted out, again sorting out his hair. His hands were trembling a little. “He told me if I should object against you taking the job, he will come out with the truth.”

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “And you just went with it?” This was unbelievable. How could he hide so many lies?

“Listen”, he added, stepping forward. Closing the space between them. “You can’t take the job.” His eyes were pleading. “The day the witch hunters attacked you, the Dark Lord came to visit me.”

Zelda’s eyes widened. “The Dark Lord honoured you with a _visit?”_ she exhaled, suddenly wondering for how long this net of lies had been going on. It felt like she had been missing a lot more than originally believed.

But her husband shook his head. “It was not an honour.” He seemed to search for the right words. “He told me that he was disappointed with me, that loving you had made me soft. Then he kept talking about how he had expected me to turn against you when he made you High Priestess instead of me, and when I summoned him he offered me the position in return for your death.” His voice was growing more urgent. “There is a pattern here, don’t you see?”

Actually, Zelda didn’t. “You’re paranoid, that’s the pattern”, she replied dryly. The Dark Lord was a trickster for sure, but her and Faustus were definitely not important enough to be such big parts of his plans. It was ridiculous to even consider.

Faustus sighed. “When I talked to the minister, he repeated some of the words Satan had used. And he stressed that if you took the job, I would become High Priest in your stead.”

She was not certain if this was his way of trying to talk his way out of this, or if he really believed any of it. “That doesn’t make any sense”, she repeated, silently wishing to just disappear on the spot. Teleport somewhere else.

“The Dark Lord is playing a game with us, I _know_ it!” her husband urged, again reached out for her. “Zelda, please, you have to trust me.”

This time, she did not back away. Just stood here. “Trust you”, she echoed, suddenly feeling very empty inside. “Trust you, after you locked me in a house against my will, lied to me about my own death and resurrection, and kept numerous other secrets from me for weeks?” Now the tears were back. “You really make it easy for me.”

Faustus opened his mouth to say something, but the words died on his lips.

“Save it”, Zelda muttered, breaking free from his touch and teleporting out of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm super motivated to write for those too after the new season, so expect some other fics / oneshots coming as well as have this one updated regularly <3


	17. Hurricane

Zelda had arrived at the ministry the next morning, after not having been able to sleep for most of the night because the tears had kept rolling down her cheeks and no amount of alcohol and cigarettes had made them stop. So now she had a headache as well, which did _not_ make her mood any better.

The entire day had been spent on fixing the spells which surrounded the ministry building, Zelda being happy to have something to occupy her head with, and eventually she had succeeded to make them safe against any sort of teleporting if it came from someone outside the staff.

She walked towards the minister’s office to tell him, barely even finding her ways through the maze of corridors, but the room was empty. He must have wandered off somewhere else.

His secretary sent her down to the ground floor, babbling about some important thing he needed to do right now which was the reason he had disappeared.

Immediately, Zelda had wondered what it might be. She had smiled and thanked the witch, before making her way downstairs. If there was something going on here, she was going to find out.

The ground floor was empty, so she walked across the room a little, looking around herself.

Suddenly she noticed a corridor, specifically one which had _not_ been there the last time she had been in the hall. Definitely not. Without further thinking, she walked down the small path, arriving at a set of stairs leading downstairs.

Apparently, there was a basement after all. Zelda hushed downstairs, checking if no one was looking out for her. This was probably not part of her job. For a second, she wondered if this curiosity was what her brother always said would kill her one day. Or kill her and Faustus, as of now. But she refused to think about that.

The stairs ended in another corridor, which was narrow and dark and had a number of doors at its sides. All of them locked. She was half tempted to enchant the locks to open, but then held herself back. Satan knew what might be in those cells.

Instead she kept walking straight ahead, towards a bigger door. It was only half closed, voices audible behind it. Zelda pressed herself against the wall, giving her best attempt to understand anything which was being said.

Someone was crying, most definitely. A woman, if she had to guess.

Next, the minister’s voice. Almost amused. “This is what you get for wanting what you can’t have”, he was saying.

Zelda felt herself shivering. She definitely was not supposed to be here. The woman was sobbing something, too quiet to understand properly.

“You brought it onto yourself”, Michael continued, the same tone of voice. Unbothered, almost amused. Like he was mocking her. “If you had not set your mind onto completing the test of the seven, this would have never happened!”

A sudden coldness overcame her. She knew exactly what was happening her. Suddenly Zelda remembered a conversation she had had with Faustus a long time ago, when she had told him she wanted to be High Priestess. _Those ideas are dangerous,_ he had said. _If witches get too powerful, they are gotten rid off._ He had been right, all those years ago. This was the place where witches went who were not as lucky as herself.

But right now, it seemed like she was on her best way to end up here as well. After all she was working for the man who instituted all of it.

Zelda had been too occupied in her thoughts to realize that the voices had fallen silent, steps coming in her direction. Quickly she backed off from the door, freezing in the middle of the corridor. This was definitely not good.

The minister stepped out of the room, throwing the door shut behind himself. Then he noticed Zelda standing in the corridor. For a second, he was caught off guard. The usual relaxed attitude he had fell, and his real emotions were visible. But then the pretence was back. “Zelda”, he noted, like he was not entirely surprised to see her. “What can I do for you?”   
  
She was quick to smile, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to look distressed. “I got lost”, she replied, not sure if it was convincing at all. “I just came down the stairs and realized I had taken the wrong path.” Her heartbeat was racing. She wondered if she could use a functioning spell against the minister or if he was too powerful.

He smiled smoothly, slipping closer. “This is just the basement, where we store some files.” His eyes told nothing of the lie. “Nothing interesting, really.”

“I’m sorry, my head has been all over the place today”, she replied quickly, hesitantly taking a step backwards. She just wanted to get away from here, and take this new knowledge with her. And then come back another time to find out more.

Michael stepped closer, expression never changing. “Personal problems?” he asked, voice more quiet now.

By now, Zelda had backed off against the wall. Suddenly there was no more space to escape. She gave her best to keep a neutral expression. This was really not how her day had been supposed to end… Perhaps he would just throw her into one of those cells as well. “It’s really nothing”, she reassured him, smiling carefully.

The minister studied her face for a moment. “What does your husband know about your new position?” he suddenly asked, without ever changing his tone of voice. The golden bits in his eyes sparkled.

Zelda felt more and more uneasy. “I haven’t asked for his opinion”, she replied dryly, this time not even lying. She hadn’t indeed. After all, Faustus never asked for her opinion on any of his plans either.

“Of course not”, he answered with a nod, like it was the most normal thing in the world. He was standing very close now, breath lightly brushing over Zelda’s skin.

For a second, she considered it. Just to lean forward and kiss him, hurt Faustus like he had hurt her all those times before. She imaged his face when she would tell him, tell him that she had finally gone through with making her threats a reality. But then her common sense returned, and she reminded herself that this was _not_ what she really wanted. Revenge would not get her any further.

Instead, she opted for a change of topic. “The defence spells are now working”, she remarked, hoping it would distract him enough.

He was still standing as close as before. His smile was never faltering. “Ever since I heard about your triumph I have wondered how you made it to be the first High Priestess in history.” A flick of a smile was there. “Now I know.”   
Actually, Zelda did not quite understand.

“You are so much more powerful than you know”, he added, voice almost a whisper.

Satan be damned, this had made her curious. She smiled, trying to work her charms once more. “Why is that?” she asked, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

The minister leaned closer. “You are holding back. All that power inside you… you could do everything you wanted, if only you believed.” His eyes were flashing. For a second he lifted a finger to touch her cheek, his cold skin against hers. “Remember my words”, he added, smiling. Then he pulled back, leaving her alone in the empty corridor.

Zelda let out a breath she had not known to be holding, closing her eyes for a moment. _That_ had been close. Without hesitating another second, she teleported away.

 

Faustus felt Zelda’s presence before she walked into the room, felt the air vibrating when she appeared. Her magic was growing stronger, he could feel it. Sense it with every fibre of his being. Not a good sign.

His wife walked into the kitchen, freezing in the doorway when she noticed him. Her eyes were distant, like she had just been thinking about something, the thought disappearing right now. Then her gaze went to Edward, who was sitting across Faustus at the table. “Are you two suddenly best friends?” she asked, lighting herself a cigarette.

Edward rolled his eyes, exchanging a quick look with Faustus. “We just wanted to make sure you were doing alright.”

Probably not the best wording. Zelda raised an eyebrow, huffing lightly. “Of course, how couldn’t I?” She glared at Faustus. Obviously her anger had not faltered over the day. “After all I have been lied to for about… two weeks?” She took an aggressive drag from the cigarette.

Her brother frowned slightly. “We only meant to protect you.”   
Zelda’s face fell, Faustus silently cursing the other Spellman. _Not_ the thing he should have said right now.

“ _We?”_ Zelda echoed, staring at the two of them in disbelief. “You knew?” The betrayal was shining in her eyes. In all honesty, she looked like she was going to jump at her brother’s throat. Next thing, one of the windows exploded.

Faustus jerked upwards. “Okay, no breaking things!” He positioned himself between Zelda and her brother. He was relatively positive she would not be throwing something to kill him, but he was not so sure how she thought about Edward right now. “That doesn’t make things better”, he added.

Zelda looked over to the window, like she had not even noticed breaking it. Perhaps it had been unintentional. “So you both planned this, I see”, she went on, eyes burning. By now, the cigarette had gone out.

Honestly, Faustus was a little worried she might accidently set the house aflame next. “Okay listen”, he began, not making the mistake of getting any closer. _He could reach her, he always could._ She only needed to listen. “Maybe we should go outside before you break anything else.”   
  
His wife looked at him like he was kidding.

“Zee, come on”, Edward made the mistake to interfere, getting up from his chair. “We just want to help you.”   
  
Zelda was in the middle of throwing a glass at her brother, but Faustus interfered and stopped the spell in mid air. The glass crashed onto the floor instead. “Stop throwing things, please”, he remarked. After all he was used to having things thrown at his head, but Edward was not. Risking she might actually murder him this time, he reached for Zelda’s hand and teleported them outside.

Once in the yard, Faustus could only hope she was not going to drop a tree on his head. “Can we talk normally now?” he tried, watching his wife carefully.

She was running a hand through her hair, refusing to look at him. Barely a second later, thunder rolled above their heads.

Faustus felt a chill running down his spine. “Was that you?” He was praying to Satan the answer might be no.

Like she had not even noticed before, Zelda looked up to the sky. Dark clouds were stacking up out of a sudden. Her eyes widened a little, a look of realization hitting her.

This was not good at all. Faustus was glaring over at Edward, who was standing in the door frame to the house. A frown was deep on his face.

Zelda was still standing in the middle of the open field, lightning suddenly above them. In its shadow, she looked like a dark angel. Her eyes were gleaming. She was loving this, it was obvious. Her lips were whispering a spell he could not understand.

The next second rain was falling, thunder still growling above their heads. It was a gruesome scene.

Faustus stepped forward, reaching for his wife’s wrist. This could not continue, someone would notice. “Stop it”, he said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.

Her eyes met his for a moment. She was hesitating. Above their heads, the thunderstorm died out, only the shreds of clouds remaining. Zelda’s wet hair was clinging to her neck and shoulders like an angel’s crown. “I can take care of myself”, she whispered, although her eyes were saying something else. She looked troubled, like something was going on in her mind. Something she was keeping secret from him.

“I’m sorry.” It was the first time Faustus had said it since the fight, and he felt the sudden need to get it out. Because he truly was sorry.

She glared at him, showing no reaction. Probably wondering whether to drop that tree on him or not. “I suppose my magic is growing stronger”, she eventually replied, still as defensive as before. But at least less likely to murder him.

Slowly, he nodded. “But you can’t just run around and control the weather. People will start to notice.” He paused. “ _The minister_ will notice.”   
That got her attention. Zelda’s expression changed a little. “Let him”, she replied, suddenly with determination.

Actually, Faustus was already sensing trouble here. This was not going to end well. “If you’re planning to do anything which might be dangerous-” he began, but she cut him off.

“Then what?” his wife responded. “You lock me up again?”

She had every right to be angry, he did understand that, but it was hurting nevertheless. “No”, he objected. “I just want to help.”

Zelda gave him a cool look, giving her best attempt to keep up her attitude. But he saw through it. She enjoyed this just as little as he did. “I don’t need your help”, she said quietly, crossing her arms. “And I definitely don’t want it.” With those words, she turned around and walked towards the house.

Faustus sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. He would give her time. That was all he could do right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what do you think, should zelda forgive faustus or not? <3


	18. Can't pin me Down

The sun had just risen when Zelda walked into the kitchen, having barely gotten any sleep at all. She had tossed and turned in her bed trying to find some rest, but she simply did not get on with an empty bed. She needed her husband with her.

Hilda was sitting at the table, from the looks of mixing some sort of potion. The liquid was deep red and bubbling, while she was rinsing some powder into it. She looked up when her sister entered the room. “Hey Zelds.”

Zelda gave a brief smile, before pouring herself a cup of coffee and leaning against the kitchen counter. She felt drained, like she should rather go back to sleep at once.

“How are you feeling?” her sister asked, stirring in the strange liquid. By now it was creating small bubbles. “You don’t look too well.”

Not a compliment, definitely. Zelda nipped on her coffee. It was black and bitter, just the way she felt. “I had about one hour of sleep, so… you can imagine.” Actually she was not quite in the mood for small talk either.

Hilda was glaring at her, wearing an odd expression. “I heard you crying”, she said eventually. The potion appeared to be done, since the bubbles had disappeared. She reached for a glass, pouring some of it inside.

Although that was probably not the most embarrassing thing her sister had heard over the years, Zelda felt bad. She had not wanted anyone to notice that. “Did Edward ever tell you?” she asked out of the blue, biting her lip in thought. “What went down with the witch hunters.”

Her sister frowned, putting the glass down on the table to shift her attention. “He didn’t, actually, why?”

Diana probably knew, but Zelda had not expected her brother to tell anyone else. Why would he, anyway. “Two weeks ago, three witch hunters came into the house we were hiding at.” She watched her sister’s face carefully. “I killed two of them, but the third shot me.”

Hilda was clutching the spoon in her hand like her life depended on it.

“I died that day. Faustus made a deal with the Dark Lord to bring me back.” She turned the coffee mug around in her hands, suddenly unable to drink anything else. So she put it down.

Her sister dropped the spoon onto the table, spilling some potion. “But I thought… death is not reversible.”

 _It isn’t._ Zelda sighed, running a hand through her face. “He kept it a secret from me for weeks.” Perhaps it would have been better if he had just told her… or perhaps not. She would never know.

Hilda was hesitating, watching her with careful eyes. “But I mean, he probably just wanted to help”, she replied carefully. “Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

“No”, Zelda said firmly, clenching her jaw. “I wouldn’t have lied.” It was the truth. She was not the one keeping secrets, again and again.

Her sister furrowed her brows, picking up the glass of her potion and nipping on it. Then she made a surprised face. “Oh, it’s good! You want to try?”

Zelda made a face. “What in Satan’s name is that?” She took the glass, risking a smell. To her surprise it smelled of Faustus’ cologne. “A love potion”, she answered her own question, quickly handing it back. In that she had no interest. “Who is that for?”

Hilda took another sip. “It’s only for class.” Her gaze was back on Zelda. “So you’re upset because he lied?” she returned to the initial topic, still busy with her potion. A little too quick, perhaps.

Zelda decided to stop digging here, but she did wonder who Hilda had intended it actually. Instead she nodded. More upset than she should be, probably. But after all this had not been the only lie. “What is it with men and lying?” she muttered, just the moment when Edward burst into the room. “Oh, just the person I wanted to see”, she added, giving her sister an apologetic look and fleeing the room.

Her brother was saying something, but Zelda ignored him, instead teleporting right into the ministry. It had been the first place which came to mind, now that the Academy was not an option for running away anymore.

She stood in the great hall, suddenly feeling utterly alone. _What was she even doing?_ Again, she noticed the little corridor from a day before. It was hidden with a spell, but still easy to detect if one knew where to look. That was why she had missed it on her first day.

Without much further thinking, she slipped inside, hurrying downstairs. The darkness made her feel safer, less easy to be exposed.

With silent steps she hushed down the hallway, stopping at the very last door and trying whether the door would click open or not. It did not, unsurprisingly. Zelda muttered a few loose Latin words, trying again. Inside something was huffing. But the lock did not budge.

She rolled her eyes, letting the palms of both hands rest on the wooden door. Again she spoke the incantation, her magic running through the fabric, until the lock clicked open. _Finally._

Carefully Zelda opened the door, only as far as needed, and then slipped inside. Behind her, it fell shut again.

She was standing in a small circular room, or a cell more likely. The wall as well as the ground was all dark stone, windowless, cold. There was not a single source of light. She spotted an old torch, making it light aflame quickly. A movement followed, and someone shrieked back from the sudden fire.

Zelda felt pity for the girl, whoever she was. Slowly, she stepped a little closer. “I’m here to help, I promise”, she said into the silence, herself realizing that those words did not sound very trustworthy. “My name is Zelda Spellman.”

A pair of green eyes was glaring at her. “ _The_ Zelda Spellman? The High Priestess?” It was clearly a female voice. The girl was still hiding in the shadows.

“Yes”, Zelda replied, biting her lip. She did not like this. Not at all. A little paranoid, she listened if someone was coming. Although it would be easy enough to hide in the dark if someone did. “I came here to ask what… happened to you.”

A silence followed. Then the other witch crawled a little closer. “I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be High Priestess.” Her rasped voice echoed from the walls. “They made me pay for it.”

That confirmed what Zelda had been thinking, too. The minister was getting rid of every witch who dared to become too powerful. Only with her he had not been fast enough.

“They will burn me at the stake”, the girl whispered, tears in her voice. “Me and the others.”

She was beginning to get a headache. “How many more are there?” she wanted to know, wondering whether they were all here, right in the basement. It was horrifying.

The girl made a muffled sound, which sounded like a sob. “He said he would burn all of us together. I believe it to be some sort of ritual.” Something was scraping over the ground. “Have you come to save me?”

Zelda truly wished she could. But it would only end with herself down here. “Not today, I’m sorry”, she replied, running a trembling hand through her hair. “But I will come back.” She looked around herself. “Can you use your magic? Cast a spell?” she asked.

“No”, the girl replied shyly. “He had put spells around the doors and walls to keep us locked up.”

Now that was why she had taken so long with the door. Zelda turned towards the door, hesitant to just leave her here. It felt wrong. But what could she do, all alone? “I will be back”, she repeated herself, as if to convince herself that she was speaking the truth. “I will come for you.”   
  
The girl never replied, only retreated back into the shadows. The torch went out, darkness returning. Zelda slipped out of the cell, locking the door behind her. She felt guilty for even speaking the spell.

Her fingers were shaking when she was pacing through the corridor, unsure of what to do next. Things could not continue like this. But who could she tell? The Council? Everyone was under the minister’s authority. What could they do but stand by and watch?

She was still thinking when she was back upstairs, already working on the work she had been assigned for the day. Her mind kept drifting away, back to the girl in the dungeons.

The girl in whose eyes she had seen herself.

 

Zelda’s room was utterly black when she sank down onto her bed, staring into the empty air. She was so tired, of everything. Soft moonlight fell through the window, making everything appear silver.

It had been a long day, a long day of pretence and looking aside whenever the minister’s eyes had crossed her gaze. She had feared he might read the truth from her eyes.

Zelda changed into her nightgown, slipping into bed and pulling the covers over her body. She felt cold and alone, somehow almost close to tears again. In Satan’s name, could she stop? Since when had she become _this_ sensitive.

Now angry at herself, she sat up again.

For a few seconds she just sat there, staring into the air, but then she made a decision. Decided to just give in, let her heart make the choice for once.

Only a moment later, she was standing in Faustus’ bedroom. She looked around herself, but it was empty. The house was heavy with silence, which she didn’t want to disrupt, so she chose to teleport downstairs.

The hallway was just as deserted, the moonlight letting shadows dance on the wooden floors. Zelda walked towards the kitchen, stopping in the door frame when she spotted her husband eventually.

He looked quite surprised to see her, his eyes immediately softening a little. The glass of whiskey in his hands was put down. “Everything okay?” he asked a little hesitantly, glaring at her nightgown and messy hair. He was probably assuming she had suffered a mental breakdown.

Zelda crossed her arms, leaning against the door. How could she explain the chaos in her head? “I couldn’t sleep”, she answered, although that did not sound like nearly enough.

Her husband approached her slowly, obviously fearing that she could disappear again. “Can we talk?” His tone was almost pleading. _Please don’t go again,_ his eyes were screaming.

She watched his expression, the way his gaze was fixed on her, the way he was looking at her. Like he always had. Like she was the most important thing in his universe.

Zelda searched her head for the right words, but they wouldn’t come. Instead she took a step forward and kissed him.

Immediately, it felt familiar. Like home. His arms around her, running down her back, stroking her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, craving more contact, forgetting everything which had happened for just this moment.

Suddenly she was hot, gasping for air, when he pressed her backwards against the kitchen table and lifted her up. Again she pulled him closer, wondering if she would ever be able to let go again.

Neither of them was thinking straight anymore, but it was just what Zelda had wanted, what she had _needed_ tonight. Just them, without fighting, without doubting. His lips on hers, nothing more. She felt drunk from kissing.

His shirt fell to the floor, Zelda’s nails digging into the skin of his back and tracing the lines of his muscles. Actually she was wondering why they had not returned to this way of solving conflicts sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry that this is short, but i wanted to get it up today nevertheless <3


	19. Guilty

When Faustus woke up the next morning he felt the familiar warmth of Zelda’s body curled up against him, instantly making him feel at ease. He ran a hand through her hair, still rather sleepy, and sat up ever so slightly without waking her. Sleeping, she looked truly peaceful. Not like she was going to tear down the patriarchy, or anyone who got in her way.

But even now, he could feel her power, the energy vibrating softly in the air. She was a force of nature more than ever, his wife.

Zelda was stirring, perhaps noticing him staring at her. Slowly her eyes flickered open, and she glared through the room for a moment, as if to remember where she was. She sighed, noticing the way he was looking at her. “Stop watching me sleep”, she muttered, loosening herself from his embrace and sitting up.

Faustus leaned against the head of the bed, watching his wife carefully. Actually, he had no idea why she had even shown up here the night before. Naturally he was aware she had trouble sleeping alone, but still… he had always assumed her pride was bigger than her need to sleep next to him. Apparently not.

Zelda was looking at her hands, playing with the soft fabric of the sheets. “Something happened”, she said very quietly. “And normally I would tell you, but”, she took a rasped breath. “I’m not sure I can trust you anymore.”

The words hurt like knifes straight to the heart. _I’m not sure I can trust you anymore._ Faustus felt himself drawing in a sharp breath. He could not even blame her. “Zelda”, he said softly. “I love you.”

She huffed, almost sadly. “Love is not the same thing as trust”, she replied simply. Her green eyes found his own. “I have to do something, and I know you won’t like it. But I can’t have you protect me, not this time. I need you to help me.”

 _I don’t want your help._ The words from the day before were echoing through his head. Now she wanted it. “Do you know why I’m so determined to shield you from everything?” he asked, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Zelda looked partly annoyed, partly interested. “No”, she replied.

He felt the familiar ache in his chest, the one which flamed up whenever he thought back to the day the witch hunters had come. “When I walked into the house, there was blood everywhere.” Of course he was aware she knew what he was referring to. Which house, which day exactly. “And you were there, on the floor, and I watched you _die_ in my arms.” He felt his own voice threatening to abandon him. The image had haunted his nightmares, whenever Zelda was not with him. Since then he had relived it a thousand times. “I’ve seen you die before, you know. During the test, when I went to hell. I saw you die, and I thought there was not a single feeling worse in the entire world. But then you died for real, and I was aware it was real, and it was my fault. And that was even worse.”

Tears were gleaming in Zelda’s eyes. “Faustus”, she whispered, carefully slipping into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

He kissed her temple, feeling the way her body melted against his own. “What do you need?” he asked, letting his fingers brush against her cheek. “What happened?”

She was hesitating for another moment, biting her lip. “No more lies. Not ever. Definitely not concerning this.” Her green eyes were utterly serious.

“No more lies”, he repeated, praying to Satan that he would not come to regret this. Judging by his wife’s attitude, she already had some plan which would possibly get the two of them killed. She had that look on her face.

Zelda relaxed visibly, letting herself rest against him a little more. She rested her arms on his shoulders. “The minister is taking down witches who aim to be High Priestess”, she began. “He is holding them captive underneath the ministry.”

Now that was just the sort of thing Zelda would get mixed up in. Faustus sighed. “And you know this how?” he followed up.

She did look a little guilty. “I followed him and broke into the secret cells”, she replied. “No big deal, it was easy enough.”

There was something else she was holding back, he could sense it. “What else?” he wanted to know, fearing the worst. This could not be all.

“He almost caught me”, Zelda admitted, clenching her jaw a little. “But I think I spun some adequate enough lies to cover it up.”

Now that was just wonderful. Faustus gave his wife a long look, studying her face. “You were right, I don’t like any of this. And I am assuming I won’t like your plan to solve this any more.”

She smiled a little, knowingly. But then her face turned serious again. “I do have a plan. But it is rather… dangerous.”

That was to be expected. Faustus pulled her a little closer, letting his fingers run down her back. “I’m with you.” In life or death, as it seemed.

Zelda remained silent for a few seconds. “I have to bring down the minister”, she eventually declared.

Now that was outright suicide. He opened his mouth to protect, but his wife was quicker.

“I have to bind him, keep him contained, and then send him back to hell.” Her eyes were gleaming, almost dangerously. “The spell will probably take up most of my magic, but once he is dead, I can take his.” She gave him an expectant look, like she was hoping he might just agree.

Faustus took a deep breath. “The minister is the most powerful warlock in the world.” A smile crept over Zelda’s face. And he understood what this was about, truly. Not the witches, no. She had made this plan a long time before she had even discovered them. “You wish to take his place”, he said slowly, the realization creeping over his skin. Oh, that was not good at all.

Zelda shrugged. “Yes, I do, so what?”

He shook his head, pushing her out of his lap, gently but still firm. Then he stood up, bringing some space between them. He could not think with her being so close.

His wife was staring at him with wide eyes, confusion flashing over her face. “You didn’t listen until the end”, she objected. “I can do this, Faustus, I know I can!”

Actually, he had heard all of this before. She had done such a thing before, jumped recklessly into something, blinded by ambition. Faustus felt something like anger flaring up within him. “Why do you have to keep doing this?” he asked, well aware how strained his voice sounded. “You’re _High Priestess,_ in Satan’s name. Will it ever be enough for you, Zelda?”   
  
Zelda’s eyes were cool, as she was trying very hard to keep herself together by the looks of it, but he could see that she was getting worked up as well. “It’s not like that-”, she began, but he was cutting her off.

“It _is_ like that. It’s always like that with you. You never get enough.” He had no idea why he was getting so angry right now, but something about this had just pushed his buttons. Why could she not stop only once, stop putting herself in danger? “People tell you that you can’t have something and then you want it more than anything.” He was half aware that he should stop speaking before he said something he might regret later, but it was too late. “And then as soon as you have it you get bored with it.”

Zelda had fallen silent, clutching the covers to herself like she was suddenly freezing.

“Perhaps that was why you married me in the first place. Because your brother told you you couldn’t.” The words had left his mouth before he could stop himself, but with a hollow feeling in his chest he noticed that it was indeed the truth. Always he had wondered this, not dared to consider the possibility. Because Zelda always wanted what she could not have, no matter the consequences. Whatever anyone else might think.

His wife was staring at him like he had hit her across the face, all colour drained from her skin. Her eyes were wide. “You don’t really think that”, she replied, voice trembling. Her nails were close to ripping the covers apart. Tears were building up in her eyes.

For a second, Faustus was sorry. He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms and kiss her hair. But he didn’t. He could not lose her again, not another time, but she was on her best way to jump off that cliff again, and perhaps this time he would not have the strength to stand there with her. “I think I do”, he simply answered, turning away and leaving the room.

 

Hilda was sitting in the kitchen, textbooks and papers spread out in front of her and an array of already written notes prepared. She had her next big exam in a few days, and wanted to be extra prepared this time.

Suddenly there was a noise in the hallway which made her frown, since normally everyone was supposed to be away. Edward, Diana and Sabrina had gone to visit the zoo and her sister was at her husband’s house, most likely.

But only moments later Zelda walked into the kitchen, a bottle of liquor in her hand. She was wearing nothing but an oversized men’s shirt – Faustus’, to be assumed –, had messy hair and swollen eyes. All in all, she looked like a hot mess.

“Zelds”, Hilda greeted her, frowning worried. That did not look like the two of them had made up last night.

Zelda let herself fall into the chair across the table, taking a big sip from the bottle she was holding. “Good morning”, she declared, leaning back. “It’s a great day to get drunk and black out.”

Hilda put her pen down. “What happened?” she asked, although not even sure if she wanted to know. She could spot a few pale hickeys on Zelda’s skin.

Her sister made a sound which sounded like a sob, although there were no tears in her eyes. Not anymore, as it seemed. Only a deep sadness. She took another sip from the bottle. “My husband thinks I only married him because I am obsessed with getting things I cannot have.” She huffed.

Hilda sighed, getting up to make some tea. Tea always helped, especially since Zelda had already apparently drank half the bottle of liquor all by herself. “Did he say what made him think so?” she wanted to know, since it was hard to imagine that Faustus Blackwood – who usually looked at Zelda like she was the centre of his universe – would say such a thing out of the blue.

Her sister hesitated, playing with the bottle in her hands. “I can’t tell you”, she admitted. “I’m planning something right now.”

Honestly, Hilda did not even want to know. Her sister planning something usually meant danger, and death. She could not even blame Blackwood for getting angry. “Have you considered his point of view?” she asked gently, putting two cups of tea down on the table.

Zelda looked at the tea, taking another sip of alcohol instead. She made a face at the taste. “I can feel his anger at me, you know”, she said suddenly, voice sounding empty. “I can feel what he feels.”   
Hilda frowned, wondering if those were the effects of the alcohol showing. But she remained silent, letting her sister speak.

“I think it’s the bond”, Zelda went on, still drinking steadily. “Whenever he feels a very strong emotion, I can feel it.” Her eyes were beginning to get glassy, and she let out another sob. “He’s really upset with me.” Over the last words, her voice broke.

Hilda could not remember ever having seen Zelda like this. She truly looked heartbroken. Although her marriage had been troubled for some while, her sister had always kept it together. But now she seemed to be crumbling. “Zelds”, Hilda said softly. “Faustus really loves you. You know he does. But if you’re planning something dangerous…” She sighed. “He is only worried about you.” _If you die, you are not the one left to grieve._

Zelda clutched the bottle closer at herself, as if she needed the support. Perhaps she did. “I suppose I should apologize”, she said, looking at the liquor like she was talking to it.

Hilda shook her head at her sister. “You should”, she agreed nevertheless. “And definitely sober up before!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for all the drama but i just live for angst... let me know what you think is gonna happen <3


	20. Fear and Loathing

To Hilda’s despair, her sister did not stop drinking. Her sudden understanding that she needed to apologize quickly changed into a _but what do I even say, I can’t do this_ and only moments later Zelda was sobbing in her chair, clutching the bottle of liquor like a lifeline. She had tried to persuade her sister to try some tea but without success, and eventually she saw no other way but to call Zelda’s husband.

Hilda walked into the hallway, picking up the phone and typing the Academy’s number. She was hoping Faustus might be there, although she was not sure. Otherwise she would have to stop by at his house, which she would actually rather not have to do.

Fortunately, the phone was picked up. “Edward?” Faustus Blackwood’s voice asked, obviously having recognized the number. “If this is about conjuring-”  
Hilda interrupted, hoping that was not a too rude thing to do. “No, actually, it’s Hilda.” She was waiting for a reaction, but it never came, so she resumed speaking. “I’m calling because of Zelda.”

Suddenly, she could feel his nervousness over the phone. “Did something happen?” he asked, tensed, but trying to act unbothered. _He though she might have done something._

“No, well”, Hilda was quick to reply. “She’s sitting in the kitchen sobbing and drinking for an hour now, and I figured…” Why had she even called? She had no idea what they were fighting about exactly, and perhaps he did not even wish to know. And so she fell silent.

On the other end, Faustus was sighing. “I’m sorry, Hilda, I can’t help”, he said eventually, but not very convincing.

Hilda rolled her eyes, wondering how two people who were so in love could make each other _this_ miserable, but did not dare to say anything else. He was still her teacher, after all. “Alright, goodbye Mr Blackwood.” She was quick to hang up, not wanting to stretch out the awkward conversation any further.

Zelda had stopped crying when she returned to the kitchen, and was to her surprise nipping on her tea. Her eyes were still red, but she looked a little less pale at least. “Did you put something into this tea?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hilda shrugged innocently, sitting back down. “No.”

Her sister was glaring at her, drinking the tea nevertheless. “Not as good as whiskey, but it does the job”, she concluded.

In the hallway the door was opened, and then thrown shut with such force that it echoed through the entire house. For a second Hilda was faintly wishing it might be Faustus Blackwood, but instead Edward stormed into the kitchen.

His eyes found Zelda first, staring at her older sister like he had seen a ghost. “What happened to you?” he wanted to know, frowning at the man’s shirt she was still wearing only, which gave an amazing view of the hickeys on her chest.

“My marriage is falling apart”, Zelda replied dryly, busy mixing the tea with the rest of her whiskey. “Not that you would care.”

Indeed Edward ignored her words, now turning to face Hilda.

 _Oh oh._ She had a bad feeling about this already. Somehow, she already knew what this was about.

Her brother’s eyes seemed to pin her down in her chair. “Theodore came to my office today.” He made a long pause, letting the words sink in.

Zelda looked puzzled, sipping her tea, but didn’t say anything. Her glance was only slightly irritated.

Hilda sighed, nervously biting her bottom lip. _This was not good at all._ Yet she did not dare to speak. It would not benefit her, anyway.

“He told me you mixed a _love potion_ into his drink!” Edward’s voice had gotten louder with the last words. “Would you care to explain that to me?”

Zelda interrupted. “Stop yelling”, she said plainly, putting her tea cup down.

However, that seemed to make their brother only more mad. “A love potion, in Satan’s name, Hilda have you lost your mind?” He never even looked at Zelda. “Where did you get it?”

Hilda opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What should she say? That she had stolen Edward’s book from the library and cooked it herself? All she wanted had been for him to like her… That was not such a bad thing, was it.

Suddenly, her sister came to her aid. “I made it”, Zelda said, without even flinching at the lie. Her eyes were steadily watching her brother. Perhaps the alcohol had lost some of its effect thanks to the tea.

Edward was glaring at Zelda like she had grown a second head. “Have you lost your mind?” he hissed, eyes sparkling with anger. “You can’t just make a love potion for her to slip into anyone’s drink, can you imagine the consequences if something went wrong?”

Her sister rolled her eyes, and Hilda was admiring how she still be so calm. “Nothing happened, right?” Zelda shrugged. “No reason to freak out.”

Their brother was silent for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. “Why did you do it, anyway?” he asked eventually, now turned back to Hilda. “A love potion, of all things.”

Hilda looked over to her sister briefly, but this time she could not expect any help. But how could she explain? “I-I don’t know”, she stuttered, glancing down at her hands. She should have known her brother would find out eventually…

“Can’t you just leave her alone?” Zelda asked, leaning forward in her chair. “And _stop_ yelling at her, in Satan’s name.”  
  
Edward shot her an annoyed look. “This is none of your business. So stay out of it.” His tone was rather rude.

For a moment, Hilda was afraid her sister might jump at his throat. Her green eyes were blazing, and they looked very much alike in that moment. “I’m High Priestess, remember?” she said coldly, leaning back in her chair. “You’re not yelling at _me_ anymore.”

Their brother huffed. “Perhaps that attitude is the reason your marriage is falling apart”, he replied dryly.

Hilda drew in a sharp breath, staring at her sister. That was not a wise thing to say right now…

Seconds later the whiskey bottle missed Edward’s head by only centimetres, crashing somewhere in the hallway. Zelda’s eyes were sparkling with fury.

“Have you lost your mind?” Edward hissed, turning around to see where the bottle had landed and why it had missed in the first place. Because that for sure had not been Zelda’s intention.

To everyone’s surprise Faustus stepped into the kitchen, wearing an expression which almost screamed _what have I walked into here?_ Hilda almost felt sorry for him. The Spellman family was not easy to deal with…

Her sister’s face had fallen a little, now staring at her husband like she was seeing him for the first time.

As usually when those two looked at each other, Hilda felt like she was intruding, destroying an utterly private moment. She always wondered if they knew what the other was thinking in those moments.

However, Edward was not done yet. “Did you just try to kill me?” His jaw was clenched, and he looked like exploding any moment.

Zelda gave him an unbothered look, crossing her arms. “I told you to stop yelling at me. I’m not sixteen anymore, and you can’t push me around like you used to.” She got up from her chair, Hilda noticing a faint smirk on Faustus’ lips when he noticed his wife’s outfit. “And you won’t do what you did to me to Hilda”, Zelda added firmly.

Edward raised a brow. “What I _did_ to you? I brought you back from Europe, I held the family together after father died-”

Zelda cut him off. “You only brought me back from Europe so you could watch my every move!” She was getting louder too now, and Hilda had the expression that this was not the first time they were having this argument. Although glad that it was not her being yelled at anymore, the entire situation was horribly uncomfortable.

Faustus seemed to have grown tired of standing in the doorway, since he pushed past Edward and walked over to his wife. He never said anything, only leaned against the kitchen cupboard, keeping a close eye on her. Perhaps wanting to stop her from throwing anything else.

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t embarrass our family name”, Edward was saying, still sounding quite enraged.

Zelda shot him a deadly look, which might have killed him at the spot if that were possible. “I cleared our family name when I became High Priestess”, she replied, oddly calm. Only the tremble in her voice was giving her away.

Faustus looked like he wanted to interfere but was holding back, eyes fixed on Zelda. He was not letting her out of his sight for a second.

At this point, Hilda felt like this was her fault. She was the reason the argument had started in the first place. But she didn’t want to say anything else, fearing to direct her brother’s anger at herself.

Zelda’s eyes were green ice. “You’re beginning to sound like father, Edward. Are you realizing that?” Her voice had become hollow.

Hilda barely remembered her father, having been too young to really grieve for him when he had passed. But she did have memories of the funeral, and of Edward’s fury when Zelda had refused to attend. To this day, she had never asked her sister why she had not returned from Europe that day. Why she had chosen not to say goodbye.

Edward remained silent for a moment. But that was just the calm before the storm. “Actually, I think you’re the one most like him, Zelda. Aren’t you the one blinded by ambition, never even caring what others might think?”

Hilda saw the hurt flashing over her sister’s face, the change in her expression. Everything about her tensed as she sank back down into her chair. Above their heads, the lamp exploded. Hilda flinched at the sound.

Faustus stepped in, blocking Zelda from her brother’s view. “It’s enough now”, he said, voice calm but firm. He seemed to have possessed a certain authority, which filled the room out of a sudden. “Stop talking to her like that!”

Edward challenged the other warlock’s eyes for just a moment, before turning around on his heel and storming off. The front door was jammed shut with a loud crack.

Hilda was glaring over to her sister, who seemed to have frozen in her seat. Her eyes looked strangely absent, like she was actually very far away. She was wondering why those words might have hurt her so much. _What had gone down between her and their father?_ Edward had never spoken of it either, never having mentioned him much at all, but if he did never in a negative way. More so painting him like an example of a great High Priest, someone to look up to.

Faustus was kneeling in front of Zelda, studying her face. Hilda was unable to properly read his expression. Again, she felt like she was intruding something. Like she should not have heard any of the things said in this room today. Carefully, she got up from her chair. “I better get back to my room”, she muttered, more to herself than anyone else, and fled the kitchen. She would have to thank her sister for her assistance later on.

 

Zelda had felt the world around her slipping away when her brother had spoken those words, because wasn’t it the same thing that Faustus had told her? He had never known her father, but even he had recognized the similarities. But Zelda was not like him, never would be.

She remembered it now, all the times he had been screaming at her, locking her in her room, calling her a slut for wearing skirts. It all came creeping back, like a night terror over her skin. _Hopefully he was rotting away in hell now._ She felt like shivering, suddenly cold. Like all the warmth had left the room.

A touch against her cheek was pulling her back to reality, Faustus kneeling in front of her. His dark eyes were watching her with concern, although she had felt how distant he was before. Now he simply seemed worried.

She took a deep breath, trying to ban the memories to the back of her mind. Frankly, she had more important stuff to worry about right now. Like the minister, or those witches locked in its basement. _You’re like father._ She shook her head a little, trying to get rid of Edward’s voice in her head.

“Are you okay?” her husband was asking, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers were brushing over her cheek. “Edward didn’t mean what he said.”

Zelda was looking at him, not able to react for a moment. _Edward did not, but you did?_ She did not dare to voice it out loud. Tears were rising to her eyes again, and she felt as weak as never before. How could she ever stand against the minister? Very slowly, she nodded. She had no idea why the words had hit her as hard as they had.

At the same time she was aware that Faustus only knew the basic story, not the detailed about why her relationship with her father had always been strained. She had never cared to elaborate on the topic. He must truly think she was insane right now.

The sudden realization made her stand up, pulling away from his touch. Her head was spinning from the whiskey, making everything blurry around her. For a second she thought she might faint, but Faustus was already steadying her.

“I think you need some sleep”, he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Sleep off some of that whiskey.”

If she was not mistaken, he might even have smirked a little bit. She was beginning to wonder if she was hallucinating. “I thought you hated me”, she muttered, finding it increasingly hard to stand upright. _Who had thought drowning an entire liquor bottle was a good idea?_

Her husband chuckled lightly, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up. “I could never hate you”, he replied, one second later letting her down in her own bed.

Zelda’s head was spinning, and she suddenly felt very tired. Perhaps all the crying had drained her body.

Faustus was sitting next to her, letting his fingers run through her hair. His expression was almost sad.

She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that the dizziness might stop. However it made no difference. “You’re not going to leave me, are you?” she asked into the silence, not feeling like she could survive that in her present state. Somewhere, in a faint corner of her brain, she still felt that he was upset with her.

His face softened a little. “I’m not”, he replied, pulling the covers over her. “And now sleep. I like you better sober.”

Zelda was already drifting off to sleep, although she already knew she was going to have nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think is gonna come next!


	21. Bad Idea

Zelda woke up with a headache, her head feeling like it was going to explode any second. She sat up way too fast, feeling the world spinning for a moment. A few deep breaths later, she was finally able to see straight. _Never again,_ she told herself. _No more whiskey._

To her surprise there were painkillers and water on the night stand, so she quickly swallowed them and prayed to the Dark Lord they might kick in fast.

It was only then that she noticed her husband in the room, standing by the window and watching her. He was smirking a little. “Headache?” he asked.

She made a face, wondering how he could be so relaxed. His whole attitude had changed. But her mind was wondering off, off to the fight in the kitchen. “I’m going to kill Edward”, she muttered under her breath, leaning against the pillows.

Faustus chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “You almost did earlier today”, he remarked, still looking amused. “It was quite entertaining to watch.”

She sighed. Poor Hilda was probably still traumatized. They would need to have a serious talk about this love potion though… Zelda wanted to know who this _Theodore_ was and why her sister had wished to enchant his heart.

Faustus touching her cheek pulled her back to reality. “Can we talk about this morning?” he asked, a softness in his voice he only ever showed in front of her. His dark eyes were steady, watching her.

She was wondering where his anger, his rage had gone. Had the sight of her drunk and tear-stained changed his mind? Suddenly she felt embarrassed. “I’m sorry”, she whispered, not knowing what else to say. “I shouldn’t have-” she broke off.

“Drowned an entire bottle of alcohol?” he suggested, fingers lightly playing with her hair.

Zelda glared at him. This was not the time for jokes. “Obviously not, but that was hardly what I meant.”

The amusement left his face. “I know”, he replied genuinely. “I shouldn’t have said some of the things I said either. I was just scared. And angry.”

He meant it, she saw it on her face. But it did nothing to make her feel any better. Somehow, she was scared too. Scared to lose him.

Perhaps he saw the doubt in her eyes, because he leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. “Stop looking so sad, please”, he said softly, running a hand along her neck. “I won’t leave you.”

 _Oh._ So he remembered that. Zelda cursed her drunk self from a few hours ago. “You better don’t”, she whispered, feeling herself smiling. “I will use a blood curse on you.”

Faustus huffed. “I wasn’t aware you had abandonment issues”, he remarked, tone rather serious. He was studying her face carefully.

Zelda’s fingers were playing with the engagement ring on her finger, as she didn’t want to look him in the eyes. Perhaps she had not been aware, either. Then again, they had never had a fight before where he had questioned their entire marriage. But that had been her fault, she saw that now. “Doesn’t matter now”, she replied, attempting to play it off. “I will still have to bring down the minister, though.”

Her husband didn’t look surprised. “I figured you would say that.” This time, he sounded a lot more certain. “What can I do to help?”   
  
Zelda’s heart jumped at the question, and she felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. For a moment she was too overwhelmed to say anything, and therefore just drew him closer and kissed him.

If she had been worried before, it all disappeared in that moment. She felt his fingers in her hair, against her skin, pushing her down onto the bed. It was perfect. Like everything was falling into place again.

He pulled away, still on top of her. “I thought you had a great plan you wished to share with me”, he whispered, placing another light kiss on her lips.

Zelda looked at him for a moment. “Why aren’t you angry with me anymore?” she wanted to know, letting her fingers run over the skin of his neck.

Her husband sighed. “Edward really hurt you with his words, didn’t he? I could feel your emotions changing.”

She hadn’t thought about it before, the way he could know what she felt the same way she could do it with him. It was a really deep connection.

“And seeing that I realized that I could never watch you get hurt and just stand by”, he continued, voice sounding very gentle. “So I’m making sure that won’t happen.”

Zelda nodded, smiling a little. Her heart felt a lot less heavy now. If she had Faustus by her side, she could do anything.

He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. But his face was still serious. “But if you ever want to talk about what happened in the kitchen, or with your father...” He didn’t finish, but she understood anyway.

Quickly she pulled away, sitting up again. “I’m fine”, she assured him, not wanting to think about her father right now. This could not be in her head right now, not with the minister still being in power, those witches being captured… She had no time to worry about her past.

Faustus did not indeed look convinced, but he dropped the topic nevertheless. “How do you want to take the minister down?” he asked instead, sitting up straight as well.

Zelda ran a hand through her hair, her headache finally having vanished. Speaking of him, she probably needed to show up at the ministry today. In order to avoid raising suspicion. “Can we talk about this tonight?” she replied, looking over to her husband. “I think I need to get back to work for once.”

Her husband’s gaze darkened a little, but he made no attempt to hold her back. “No risks”, he muttered, kissing her temple. “Just be careful.”

She couldn’t hide the little amused smile when she climbed out of the bed. “I’m taking care of myself, I promise.”

He was watching her, almost a little wistful. “We’ll meet at my house later tonight, okay?”

Zelda nodded, still smiling. “I’ll be there.”

 

It was dark when Faustus was sitting on his front porch, looking out into his yard. The moonlight was the only source of light at this time, since he had preferred to go without electric light out here. It was more peaceful this way.

He felt Zelda’s presence before even seeing her, feeling the air vibrate from her magic. _She really had become more powerful._ The minister must also have noticed… They were running out of time.

She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her lips to his neck. “Brooding?” she asked playfully, letting herself sink down in his lap. In the moonlight, her hair seemed to be glowing.

Faustus sighed, pulling her closer. Her body was warm against his. “I just missed you”, he replied. The Academy seemed empty without her there as he had come to notice.

Zelda smiled, silent for a few seconds. “I think I can pull it off”, she said eventually. “Using a binding spell against the minister.” Her eyes were gleaming, looking for approval from his side.

If he was honest, that was risky. _Very_ risky. Possibly deadly, too. Neither of them had any idea how it might turn out. “It’s not only the binding”, Faustus pointed out. “You will have to kill him, too, afterwards.”

She frowned. “I know. But I think I can do it.” Her tone was certain, not even wavering in the slightest. “And I have an idea how we can find out if it works.”   
  
Now that sounded just great… Faustus nodded. “Sure, how?” He just hoped it would not involve either of them being killed. Or, both of them. Since they were bound together.

Actually, his wife seemed more excited than worried. She was beaming with it. “I’ll summon a greater demon, bind him, send him back to hell!”

“Oh Satan”, Faustus muttered, wondering what he had gotten into this time. _How did she always come up with these plans?_ “A demon is no match for a warlock of the minister’s power though”, he remarked, knowing that it would be no matter anyway. Zelda was Zelda, and she had her mind set on this already. She would go through with it.

Zelda rolled her eyes, standing up from his lap. “Whatever”, she replied, walking down into the yard. “It’s the closest thing.”

He reached for her hand, holding her back for a moment. “If this goes wrong”, he began, seeing the determination in her eyes. _She would not turn back._ “then you stop. Accept that you can’t face the minister.”   
For a second, she hesitated. Then a nod followed. “Of course.”

Faustus let go of her, sighing internally at the lie. He knew she wouldn’t, no matter what. But he didn’t object, only silently watched as Zelda drew a circle on the ground, which was supposed to contain the demon. At least she was doing it with him here, together they should be able to manage the spell, if he needed to step in. But she wanted to do it herself, so he stayed back.

Her voice echoed through the night when she spoke the summoning spell, the energy of her magic spreading around the entire yard. Faustus could feel the air vibrating. It was impressive, nothing he had ever seen before. _She was truly something special._

With a ragged scream, a demon appeared in the centre of the circle. His empty black eyes were pinned on Zelda, when he stepped closer to the border which bound him. “You summoned me”, he hissed, voice cutting through the air like a blade. “How foolish of you, girl.” He moved against the circle, but was thrown back by an invisible border.

Zelda was smiling, although Faustus could feel how much effort it was costing her to uphold the barriers. “Speak your name, demon”, she commanded, watching the demon squirm within the circle.

“I am Asmodeus”, he hissed back. “King of hell.”

Now that was a lie. There was not indeed a king of hell at all. But apparently, Zelda had picked the strongest demon of them all. Just marvellous.

Faustus was watching her closely, could feel how the spell was physically pulling at her. It was hard, even for him to just stand by. Instantly, he wondered what it must have felt like to perform that healing spell. What had Zelda done, which had made him raise from the dead?

She was going over the words for the banishment spell now, reciting them while Asmodeus was still fighting against his containment. Faustus could _feel_ him pulling at his insights, not even wanting to imagine how much his wife must be holding on to the binding spell. For a quick second he was considering to step in, but then held himself back.

“You’re failing”, she demon sneered, followed by something which sounded like a rasped laugh.

Zelda’s eyes were cold as ice, as she repeated the incantation. This time, Asmodeus was screaming.

Faustus fell to his knees, feeling like his insights were being pulled out. Every fibre of his body was burning. He was still watching Zelda, who was standing in the middle of the yard like a blazing angel. Around her, the circle exploded in light and with a last sneer, the king of hell disappeared.

A long silence followed. Zelda had sunken to the ground, coughing like she was in need of air. Like the spell had dared to crush her lungs.

With the pain gone, he was able to get to his feet and quickly got over to his wife. “That was close”, he remarked, kissing the top of her head and kneeling down in front of her.

Zelda gave him a look which was only slightly offended, still breathing heavily. “I had it under control”, she replied, looking at the place where the circle used to be. “He was a really annoying demon.”

Faustus reached out for her, running his fingers through her hair. He needed to make sure she was okay. “I don’t like this”, he said quietly. “The minister is going to fight back even stronger.” Obviously he was very much aware that Zelda would not let go, even if it killed her to hold on. She would never back down.

She seemed to have sensed his worry, since she slipped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can do this”, she whispered, sounding entirely confident in herself. “The bond makes it easier.”

“How so?” Faustus wanted to know. He could not think of a reason while this was at all profitable.

Zelda smiled. “Because our magic is connected, too. I’m stronger now, because I can feel your presence.”

Now that sounded rather vague – and not less dangerous in the slightest – but he simply went with it. There was no changing his wife’s mind, anyway. He kissed her then, pushing for down onto the grass.

She pressed herself closer against him, breaking away for just a second. “Together, we can do this”, she breathed against his lips. “ _We can do anything_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, i made the decision that i'm going to wrap this fic up in 25 chapters (like part 1) and then do a third part, since i'm not ready to let go of this universe just yet... so look forward to a lot more coming! <3


	22. Rootless

Zelda returned home the next morning, slipping through the front door as silently as possible not to disturb anyone. All she wanted was to pick up some books and then leave for the ministry, _definitely_ not keen on running into her brother.

But as usual, things didn’t go as planned. When she came into the hallway, Sabrina was already yelling her name. Diana had been trying to get her into her jacket, but the little girl had run off in the meantime.

Zelda picked her up, ignoring her brother’s glances on herself. “Where are you going to?” she asked her niece, briefly looking over to Diana. She was dressed up, wearing an outfit which looked carefully chosen and even some make up.

“Applying for pre-school”, her brother answered in his wife’s stead, with a strange expression that told Zelda that he rather would not had her know this.

For an obvious reason. “Pre-school?” she echoed, eyebrows raised, while letting Sabrina down who was slowly getting a little too big to be picked up for longer intervals. “That’s not very traditional”, she added.

Diana gave a short smile, reaching for her daughter’s hand and making another attempt to properly dress her.

Edward gave a shrug, still looking rather tense. The aftermath’s of the kitchen fight were still hanging in the air, unspoken. Perhaps Diana didn’t even know. “Traditional is not always best”, he replied. “Besides it would be good for Sabrina to have some other kids to play with.”

Zelda frowned. “There are playgroups at the Academy, too. She shouldn’t play with mortal-” She interrupted herself, looking at Diana. “Shouldn’t _only_ play with mortal kids.” The correction had been slightly too late, though.

Her brother gave her a challenging look. “Why not?” he asked.

“We will wait in the car”, Diana said quickly, noticing the growing tension in the room. She dragged Sabrina along with her, the little girl babbling something which sounded a lot like the plot of a Disney movie.

Zelda waited until the two of them had disappeared to resume speaking. “Because she is a witch, Edward. And she’s only three, she has no idea what she can do. It might be dangerous!”

He huffed. “Don’t act like you’re worried for the mortal’s safety, Zelda. You just think we are better than they are.”

At this point, it was really tiring to argue with Edward every time. She sighed, shrugging. “Yes I do, so what?” After all, the witch hunters had been mortal. And they had been hunting witches for generations, centuries even. They would always be endangered by them.

“Besides, there are laws about contact and relations with the mortal world”, she added.

Edward crossed his arms. To him, the last words might have sounded a little like a threat. She didn’t bother to correct him about her intention. “And who is going to enforce those laws, you?”

Zelda felt herself growing slightly angry already. Could he stop always picking stupid fights? “Faustus is acting High Priest”, she replied, shrugging. “His decision.” She knew her husband’s stance on mortal relations, which was definitely a lot stricter than her own. Especially after the incident with the witch hunters, he had become even more careful.

Her brother studied her face for a moment, trying to determine if she was serious. Obviously, Zelda wasn’t. Sabrina was her family, and so was Diana, if not by choice. She might not like the mortal very much, but she certainly would not get her into any danger.

Suddenly there were steps upstairs, and Hilda appeared at the top of the stairs. “Oh, hey Zelds!” she greeted, glaring at their brother without another word.

By now, Edward looked like he had bitten into a particularly sour apple. “I’m leaving”, he muttered, giving Zelda another tense look and storming off.

She rolled her eyes, wondering why he always had to be so dramatic.

Hilda came downstairs, watching the door fall shut. “I’m grounded”, she complained. “Because of the whole… love potion incident.”  
Right, Zelda still definitely had a few questions about that. She followed her sister into the kitchen, arms crossed. “So”, she began, leaning against the cupboard. “You never told me _that_ story.”

Hilda sat down on the table, pouring herself some tea. She was biting her lip nervously, but didn’t reply.

Zelda tried again. “I won’t tell Edward, I promise.” After all she had taken the blame, so she also deserved an explanation here. It was only fair.

Her sister sighed, sipping her tea. “It’s really not that important”, she tried to talk her way out of it, setting the cup down. “It was only meant as a joke.”  
  
Honestly, Zelda didn’t believe one word of that. But the lies were only making her more curious. “Okay listen”, she replied, sitting down across from her sister at the table. “You tell me your secret, I tell you a secret. Whatever you want to know.” She added an encouraging smile. Not that she was particularly keen on sharing anything with Hilda right now, but her sister wouldn’t ask about anything important anyway, or so she was hoping.

To her surprise, Hilda’s expression changed a little. She was eyeing Zelda for a moment, carefully and considerate. “Okay”, she said eventually. “I’ll tell you.”

Zelda smiled, in the middle of lighting herself a cigarette. Now that was going to be a fun little story. She took the first drag, letting the smoke rise into the air.

“I read about the potion in a book”, Hilda began, playing with the ends of her hair. “And I had just met Theodore in herbalism class, and I thought he must like me too… so I figured where is the problem, you know.” She glared at Zelda, hesitant to speak for a moment. “I mixed it into his drink when he wasn’t looking, but he caught me.”

For a second, she felt truly sorry for her sister. Although that was definitely not an okay thing to do. She wondered why Theodore had come to Edward with the complain, and not herself or Faustus. “You can’t just make someone a love potion to fall for you”, Zelda replied, drawing on her cigarette.

“I just wanted…” Hilda took a deep breath, shrugging lightly. “Someone to fall in love with me.”

Zelda felt a pain in her heart, realizing that she had never even given much thought to her sister’s love life. She was busy enough with her own marriage… Suddenly she felt bad. At the same time, she had no idea what to respond. A silence followed.

Eventually, Hilda continued speaking. “Now you tell me a secret”, she said, suddenly sounding a lot less upset than only a minute ago.

Sighing, Zelda shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. I’m an open book.”

Hilda tilted her head a little. “Actually, I think you are the most secretive person I know”, she said, taking a sip of tea.

Now that might actually even be true. Zelda put the cigarette out on the table, letting the ash stain disappear with a wink. “What do you want to know?”

Her sister seemed to think about the request for a moment, biting her lip while glaring at her carefully. “Well”, she began. “I was wondering if you could tell me about father.”

Zelda needed all the self control she had to prevent her expression from changing, to show the horror she felt at even the mention of his name. She felt her body tensing, instantly wishing for another cigarette to hold onto. “I’m sure Edward has told you all about him”, she answered, trying to sound light hearted. Naturally, it was not very convincing.

Hilda was frowning. “He did not, actually. Only said he was a great High Priest.”  
  
_That he was._ The only thing he had been good at. Zelda was wringing her hands, debating what to answer. “Well, he didn’t like me very much. Or at all, you could say. He loved Edward, of course.” She smiled ironically. “His _heir._ ” So they had thought at the time. She had tried to make it sound less than what it had been, but she knew her sister had already seen through the act. She had a way of seeing the truth in people.

Hilda was looking at her worried now. “So when Edward said, you were becoming like father-”

“That’s not true”, Zelda interrupted, suddenly defensive. _It couldn’t be._ “I’m not becoming like a heartless, self-centred idiot who locked his children away to-” She broke off, suddenly realizing she had said too much. Immediately, she regretted even having spoken about the matter. What had she been thinking?  
  
Her sister was giving her a sympathetic look, probably very well understanding what Zelda had been meaning to say. “Does Edward know?” Hilda asked quietly, turning the tea cup around in her hands.

Zelda huffed. Of course he did, just loved to pretend he didn’t. “He never understood why I didn’t come back for the funeral. Just told me I would have to move on and stop living in the past.” After that, she had hung up the phone and not called him again for weeks. She had been sick of speaking to him, when he never understood anyway.

“Did our father send you to Europe, then?” Hilda wanted to know, asking the question like it had been carefully chosen. She seemed to be cautious of her sister’s reaction.

Zelda ran a hand through her hair. “After determining I was dishonouring the family here in Greendale, yes he did.” She hadn’t thought about her father in a long time before it had come up during the fight, all those happenings feeling strangely far away. Although she was still very aware of the things she had witnessed during her trip to hell.

Hilda had fallen silent, finishing her tea. Eventually, she spoke again. “I’m sorry I asked, I was just curious since Edward mentioned it.” It was genuine.

Zelda only shook her head, getting up from the chair. She was going to be late at the Academy. “No more love potions. If you want to seduce someone, do it properly!”

Her sister gave her an irritated look, but she had already teleported away.

 

When she arrived at the minister’s office, the door was already open. Michael was sitting behind his desk, eyes on nothing in particular, just mindlessly glancing around the room. But as soon as she entered, all his attention was on her.

Immediately, Zelda felt slightly uneasy. Like his gaze was piercing through her heart. “Your Excellency”, she greeted, stopping in the middle of the room. She didn’t want to sit down. “You requested me to come.”

He raised a brow. “I did indeed. There is a matter to be discussed.” The door fell shut with a blink of his eye. “In private”, he added.

Zelda smiled, but it felt forced. What would he possibly have to tell her?

Without waiting for an answer from her side, he resumed speaking. “A group of witches has been arrested recently.” He made a face. “We have the execution scheduled for tomorrow.”  
  
She needed to try very hard not to show any kind of reaction. _Tomorrow._ That was too soon. “Arrested for what crimes?” she asked, buying herself some time to think. What could she do until tomorrow? She needed more time to prepare, to go over the spells…

The minister gave a shrug. “Treason”, he replied, smiling vaguely. “Punishable by death through fire.”

 _Of course._ Zelda didn’t react any further, keeping herself contained. She couldn’t show her disagreement just yet. “What do you need for me to do?” Surely there was a reason he was telling her this, right now. Only one day before. _Had he been afraid she might grow suspicious if he told her too soon?_ She could only guess.

“Just attend the ceremony”, he replied, darkness flashing through his eyes like a shadow. “For the protocol.”

That was obviously a lie, but Zelda simply flashed a smile in response. “I will be there”, she replied. And she planned on doing so, actually. She would be there, and she would stop it from happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm finally getting closer to the finale of this story, i hope you're all getting excited! <3


	23. If I had a Heart

Zelda felt herself beaming with nervousness when returned to Faustus’ house later that day, anxious to tell him about what she had learned. She hurried into the library, where she had thought he must be, and indeed found him there, sitting on his desk with a few open books in front of him.

His gaze jumped up when she barked in. “You’re early”, he commented, wrapping his arms around her waist as she sat down on his lap. He pressed a short kiss to her temple.

She leaned against him only slightly, resting her head on his shoulder. Suddenly she felt a lot calmer. “The minister is going to execute the witches tomorrow”, she half whispered, never lifting her head.

Faustus shifted, his grip around her intensifying. “So?” he wanted to know. “What now?”

Zelda looked at him, the way the light made the lines of his face appear even sharper. For a second she wanted to reconsider. Change her mind. Run away and never come back. She took a sharp breath. “I’m going after him”, she said very quietly, almost hoping he might not have heard the words. Which he had, of course.

“You’re not ready yet”, her husband argued, a worried frown following. “You need more time to prepare.”  
Well, time was not exactly on their side as it seemed. Zelda shook her head. “I can’t. I have to do it tomorrow, during the execution…”

Faustus interrupted. “You can’t _kill_ the minister in front of everyone. He has guards protecting him, people will get hurt.”

She sighed. It was a valid point, so much she had to admit. _But what other choice did she have?_ “Tonight then”, she presented the alternative, although the thought of that made her throat tighten up. Her voice almost betrayed her. “There is no other way.”

Her husband was looking at her silently. Although he was refusing to say it, the silence was him agreeing. There was simply no other way.

“Zelda”, Faustus began, but she had already sat up, suddenly pressing her lips to his. He responded just as passionately, pressing her back against the desk, teeth digging into her lip when he let his tongue run over hers.

Zelda felt herself shivering, reaching for his shirt and pulling it up over his head. She had no idea what she was even doing, but her brain seemed to have shut off. His fingers were buried in her hair, tracing the lines of her neck and back when he opened her dress and pulled it down to her hips. The touch sent shivers racing all over her skin.

There was nothing she craved more than letting herself fall, pulling all she had into him, not thinking about what she would have to do.

“You can still reconsider”, he breathed against her skin, lips finding hers again.

Zelda gasped, struggling to breathe normally. “You know I can’t”, she got out, opening his jeans with a quick move.

Faustus was gripping her hip tightly, pulling her down onto him. Zelda moaned when he entered her, leaning against his body for support. She felt the thoughts disappearing to the back of her head, her mind clouding.

He was kissing her again and she buried her hands in his hair, feeling like he was the only lifeline she could hold onto.

 

Zelda sank back against the desk, still gasping for air. She ran a hand through her hair – naturally a big mess – and immediately felt tired. Like all her mental energy had been drained. Because she knew what had to be done.

Her husband was reaching out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Let me be there”, he said quietly, looking almost sad. “Let us do this together.”  
  
She was tempted to agree, _so tempted,_ but it was impossible. Slowly, she shook her head. “I need you to be with Edward. In case I…” She took a deep breath. “In case I fail.”

Faustus sighed, without another word pulling her back into his arms. This time only placing a kiss on top of her head, the softest of touches. He was pressing her so tightly against his chest that Zelda feared he might never let go of her again.

But she relaxed into the embrace, closing her eyes for a moment.

“I love you”, he whispered into her hair, running a hand down her back.

Zelda sat up straight again, feeling tears rising to her eyes. _No, she wouldn’t cry._ It took all her composure to keep her voice from trembling. “We’ll be fine.” She managed a smile. _Either here or in hell,_ as it seemed. Very fitting. “You have to go to Edward.”

He hated that idea, hated leaving her, every fibre of his being was screaming that. But he did it anyway, just for her. Faustus nodded, still not letting go of her. “I will”, he promised. For a moment there was heavy silence, his fingers playing with a strand of her hair. Like he was trying to hold onto her. “Come back to me”, her husband eventually said, his dark eyes calmly resting on her.

 _He trusted her._ Zelda inhaled sharply, nodding briefly. He was truly believing that she could do this, otherwise he would never let her go. Very slowly, she stood up again. She knew what she had to do, what path was laying before her.

Faustus was still watching her, never moving. His eyes were unmoving.

Zelda took a deep breath, remembering why she was doing this. The minister would have her killed. He would have all those witches executed. This was what she had to do, no matter the consequences. She was sending a silent prayer to the Dark Lord, hoping he might still be on her side. Although as usual, Satan did not respond.

Without turning around again, she teleported to the ministry. The protection spells around her vibrated when she passed through them, appearing right in the corridor which lead to the minister’s office. Her heart was racing, but her thoughts were suddenly very calm.

The door was open again, and so she stepped inside without another moment of hesitation. The room appeared empty, the chair behind the desk deserted. Zelda stepped forward, letting her fingers run over the wood of the table. _She was going to sit here._ Her mind was very clear now.

Suddenly, the door fell shut behind her. She turned around, seeing Michael stand in the middle of the room. As usual, his face showed no emotion. “Interesting”, he greeted her, looking rather smug. “I was wondering when you were going to show up here.”  
  
Actually she was not surprised he had sensed her coming, and it hardly mattered anymore, anyway. She was going to get rid of him, once and for all.

To her surprise, he came closer, eyes fixed on her. Almost hypnotising. “We could work together, you know. Together we would be… _invincible._ ” He smiled at the lie.

Zelda sighed, acting like she was thinking about the offer. In reality, she was preparing herself for the spell. If she failed, she had not only killed herself, but also Faustus. He would join her in hell. Around her, the air vibrated with magic.

The minister had noticed, stepping back. His eyes had grown very dark. “You prefer to fight me then”, he noted, folding his hands together. “I should have killed you the day in the basement, saved me all this trouble.”

 _Perhaps you should have._ “Too late for that now”, Zelda replied, shrugging. “I suppose I will have to kill you then.”

 

Edward was sitting in the kitchen reading a book when his brother in law entered, having teleported right into the hallway. He was surprised to see him, actually, after the fight he and Zelda had had in front of his eyes. “Faustus”, he greeted, putting the book down. “I imagine Zelda sent you.”

The other warlock raised an eyebrow, leaning against the cupboard now. “She didn’t, why would she?” There was a hint of worry in his tone.

Edward frowned, wondering where that had come from. It had only been an innocent question. “Because of the pre-school, I assume”, he replied, voice sounding as annoyed as he felt. _Why did Zelda always have to interfere?_ What did she have to do with the way they raised Sabrina? It was absolutely none of her business, and she was just looking for a reason to mess with him probably.

Still, Faustus looked like he had no idea what Edward was even talking about. “What pre-school?” he asked, meanwhile glancing over at the clock on the wall. Like he was nervous.

“Sabrina’s pre-school”, he responded, slowly growing even angry. What was this? Usually, Faustus did not just wander randomly into their kitchen. Something must be up. “And no, we are not changing our mind about that. Sabrina is going to that school, no matter what you or Zelda think!”

The other warlock looked at him like he had gone crazy. “Why would Zelda care about that?” he asked, frowning. “And she hasn’t mentioned anything to me, if that’s what you think.”  
  
Edward felt his anger cooling down a little bit, suddenly wondering if he had been overreacting. Not just today, but the day before as well. He thought about it for a second, before resuming to speak. “How is she?” he asked eventually. “Zee, I mean.”

Faustus sighed, again glaring at the clock for a second before answering. “She would be better if you had not compared her to her father.”

Edward still remembered the look on his sister’s face, the way Zelda had gone pale and stared at him like he had hit her. Because he had known that those words would make her shut up, pull down her defences. He knew which buttons to press. But now, he felt slightly guilty. Perhaps he should not have spoken with her in such a manner. “Sometimes I wonder”, he began, not even sure why he was saying the words right now. “if I am the one becoming like father.” He wondered if Zelda had even spoken about him with her husband.

Faustus glared at him for a moment, as if deciding what to say. “If you’re already wondering, perhaps you aren’t too far off”, he replied dryly. “And I certainly won’t let you speak to Zelda in that way a second time.”

Edward ignored the last comment. He had already wondered why Faustus had not stepped in during the fight sooner, but he had also sensed the tension between the two, and the way her sister’s eyes had been red from crying. So perhaps they had fought earlier. “She’s just driving me crazy sometimes”, Edward muttered.

The other warlock huffed. “That’s one of her talents”, he replied, but one could hear the love in his voice. The way he admired that fierceness of hers.

Edward had often wondered – in the beginning of his sister’s marriage – if she would be able to make it last. By now, he rarely doubted it anymore. He may not have liked Faustus Blackwood in the beginning, but now he could almost say to like him.

Suddenly, Faustus gasped. His fingers gripped the edge of the cupboard, as he seemed to be struggling to breathe.

Edward stood up, alarmed. _What was happening?_ His thoughts drifted to Zelda for a second. She wasn’t here. But it was evening, where would she be? Panic rose within him. “What is happening?” he got out, watching the other warlock clutching his throat, coughing. Like the air was sucked from his lungs.

Faustus fell to his knees, eyes wide with panic. But not for himself. No, that sort of look only ever appeared when one thing was happening. _When Zelda was in danger._

Edward knew that look, back from the maze. His heart was racing. “Faustus, I mean it! What’s going on here?” he was grunting, running out of patience.

“Zelda”, Faustus got out, before collapsing onto the ground. “You have to get to her!”

Still properly confused, Edward nodded, hoping that Faustus was not going to die right here on the kitchen floor. That would be awful timing indeed. “Where is she?” he demanded to know, already feeling like he knew. He knew, but he was hoping to be wrong.

“The ministry”, the other warlock gasped, right before passing out on the kitchen floor.

Edward cursed his sister, checking for a pulse and making sure Faustus was still alive. He was, fortunately. Zelda would kill him if he had let her husband die on his watch.

Although she was probably in bigger trouble herself. Without hesitating another second, Edward teleported to the ministry, hoping that he would not come to late to whatever was going down there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dramaaa! what do you think is gonna happen next?


	24. Karma

 

The first thing Edward noticed, when he was standing in the entrance hall of the ministry, was that the defence spells were down. There was nothing holding him back from teleporting straight into the ministry. Immediately, that made more worry spin through his body. Those had been Zelda’s spells, and if they were down…

He had never been in the ministry, which means he needed to follow the signs hanging on the walls. _Minister’s office._ He began running. _Restricted area._ More corridors, doors, rooms. All empty. _No official business after this point._ He ignored all the signs.

When he finally reached the office, the door was open. Edward was prepared to burst inside immediately, but after what he saw inside, he froze in the doorway.

In the middle of the room, a binding circle had been drawn. The patterns of sacred geometry were carved into the wood, now still glowing lightly white. Right within the circle, a body was lying. _The minister,_ Edward realized with horror. His head was crooked weirdly to the side, suit torn partly. He did not look any part as neat as his usual self. The entirety of his body was unmoving.

Edward stepped further into the room, heart still pounding as quickly as never before. Where was his sister? There was no doubt that this was her doing. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.

Zelda was lying behind the circle, as pale as she seldom was. Her lids were flickering, slightly opening when Edward knelt down next to her. She was struggling to breathe, apparently.

“What have you done?” Edward whispered, still in shock. He ran a hand through Zelda’s hair, noticing how cold her skin was. She was on the verge of passing out, her magic having drained entirely. _Not good at all._ Carefully, he managed to sit her down in an upright position, back leaned against the wooden desk.

“I did it”, she replied quietly, voice sounding like it might give up on her every second. “I did it”, she repeated, eyes falling shut.

Panicing, Edward reached for her face. “No passing out, Zee, hey!” He gave his best to make her stay awake, although he was not sure if that would help at all. “Stay with me, okay?”

Zelda sighed, but managed to open her lids again. “Where is Faustus?” she whispered, every word seeming to drain at her strength. “I felt it, I felt...” She never finished the sentence.

Edward took a deep breath, to calm himself. This was for sure bad, but they had handled worse. “He passed out”, he informed his sister, watching her closely to make certain she understood. “But he was alive when I left him.” Hopefully, he still was.

His sister frowned like she was in pain, seemingly forcing herself to stay awake now. “I have to get into the circle”, she managed to get out, followed by a ragged breath.

He would have liked an explanation for that, but it didn’t seem like Zelda was able to say anything else, so he just had to take her word on it. Silently cursing his sister and her impulsive – and deadly – ideas, he carefully picked her up. Somehow, it reminded her of the times when she had still been a little child and he had taken care of her, carrying her around to make sure she didn’t hurt herself falling down the stairs. Perhaps things had not changed that much.

Edward put Zelda down in the circle, feeling the air vibrating when he passed over the drawn lines. Afterwards he stepped back, keeping his safe distance.

For a moment, nothing happened. Zelda was just lying there, her chest rising and falling slightly, her eyes closed. She looked like a fallen angel.

But then, the lines on the wood began to glow stronger. The white light filled the room, bright enough to make Edward retreat backwards a few steps. He bumped against the desk with his back in the process.

The entire room seemed to be vibrating now, the air almost crisping. Edward was seriously wondering whatin Satan’s name his sister had cooked up here again.

Suddenly, the light vanished. Zelda was standing in the middle of the circle, which was beginning to fade away around her. The minister’s body had disappeared, leaving nothing but a faint blood stain on the wooden floor.

Edward exhaled sharply. He had not even noticed that he had been holding his breath. “Sometimes I really think you have a death wish”, he muttered in his sister’s direction, shaking his head.

Zelda laughed, stepped away from the binding circle. Her skin was glowing, her whole aura radiating. She was beaming with power, apparently. On her lips she was wearing a content smile. “It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

He sighed, without another word taking her into his arms. Zelda tensed for a moment, but then accepted the hug. Actually, Edward was not sure if he had ever been so relived in his life. “Don’t ever scare me like that again”, he said quietly, letting go of his sister.

“I’m sorry”, she replied, biting her lip. “I didn’t think you would come here, actually.”

Obviously that plan had not been entirely thought through. Edward looked back to the place where the circle had been before. All trace of what happened had vanished into nothing. “You just _killed_ the minister, Zee”, he spoke the thought out loud, yet realizing what had even happened. What must have went down.

Zelda smiled, running a hand through her hair. “That’s a really long story.” Suddenly, her face changed. Like she had just remembered something important. “I need you to come with me real quick!”

Wondering if that was another one of his sister’s _great_ plans, Edward nodded and followed. It could not be any worse than what had already happened he figured.

Surprisingly, Zelda led him into the basement, down a very long and dark corridor at which end one could find a number of more doors leading Satan knows where. Edward was starting to doubt his sister’s sanity. Did she even know what she was doing here?

“What is this about?” he wanted to know, looking around himself. “I really don’t think this is-” He was interrupted, as Zelda spoke a single Latin word and made the doors around them open with a crack. Edward sighed. _Show off._

He watched her hurry into one of the dark rooms, seconds later the torch inside was lit up. A figure appeared in the shadows, and he stepped closer.

It was a young witch, about Hilda’s age, with curly brown hair and bloodshot eyes. She was looking in between him and Zelda, obviously rather confused. “Have you come to take us away?” she whispered, voice hoarse.

Zelda smiled. “I have come to free you”, she replied. “Like I promised.” She turned around to Edward, keeping her voice down. “The minister captured them to let them burn at the stake. Because they wanted to rise within the ranks of their Church.” Her eyes were urgent. “He had to be stopped.”  
  
Apparently so. Edward looked around himself, seeing more witches emerge from their prison cells. He sighed internally. At least she had had a good reason to put her life on the line this time.

 

Faustus woke up on the floor of the Spellman’s kitchen, with a headache like a truck had run him over. Carefully he sat up, trying to sort out his thoughts. _Zelda._ It was the first thing which came to his mind. Where was she?  
  
He jumped to his feet, without any further thinking. Briefly, he remembered Edward asking where she was, sending him to the ministry. _Had they already returned?_ Judging by the fact that he was still alive, things could not have gone utterly bad, though.

Just in this moment, someone appeared behind him. Faustus turned around, half worried, half surprised, looking right into a pair of _very_ familiar green eyes.

Zelda jumped into his arms before he could even react, wrapping her legs around his body and pressing her lips to his. She pressed herself against him, and he felt the utter relief to know that she was really safe now. Safe, and back here with him.

“I made it”, she whispered, pulling away for a second. “I really did it.”

He kissed her again – only half aware of Edward in the room – until her brother cleared his throat, causing Faustus to chuckle and letting go of his wife. Carefully he placed another kiss on her temple, holding onto her for just a moment longer. Even now, he could feel how much new power she was radiating. It was only getting more extreme. “How did it go?” he wanted to know, only half remembering the sharp pain in his entire body when he had collapsed, the way his internal organs had felt like they were being pulled out. He could only imagine what Zelda must have felt.

But she only smiled, eyes gleaming. She gave him a knowing look. “All according to plan”, she replied, glaring over at Edward. “Although I admit I had some help from my brother.”

Edward responded with a sigh, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you knew about this and didn’t do anything!” he told Faustus, followed by an accusing glance from his side. “She could have gotten herself killed.” A frown appeared. “Both of you, actually.”  
  
Zelda rolled her eyes, turning back to face Faustus. Her eyes were sparkling.

Her brother seemed to feel like he was interrupting something, since he gave another sigh and then left the room.

“I made it”, Zelda repeated as soon as the door had fallen shut, leaning back against the cupboard. She was biting her lip suggestively. “I really took down the minister!” Her face was beaming with excitement.

Faustus leaned against the cupboard as well, running a hand through his wife’s hair. “Almost died in the process, but sure, it went well”, he replied sarcastically, watching the glow in her eyes.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up to him. “A little more respect please”, she whispered playfully, letting her fingers run over his skin. “You’re speaking to the new minister.”

Now he could no longer contain himself, leaning down to kiss her and lifting her up onto the cupboard. Zelda wrapped her legs around him, softly tucking at the ends of his hair. Her own success really made her go off like nothing else, he noticed again.

“You are aware your family is in the house?” he asked amused, while his wife was busy unbuttoning his shirt. “And we’re right in the kitchen.”

Zelda gave him an annoyed look, shrugging. “So what?” she replied, suggestively playing with a strand of her hair.

Just in this moment, the door was opened again. Diana was standing in the doorway, jaw dropping at the sight. “Oh”, she exclaimed, clearing her throat while giving a nervous laugh. Behind her, Edward was glaring into the kitchen.

“In Satan’s name”, he muttered. “Don’t you have your own kitchen to…” He made a face. “do whatever.”

Diana was still standing there without a word, her cheeks having turned a heavy pink.

Rolling her eyes, Zelda jumped down from the cupboard. “Don’t worry, brother, we’re leaving. To continue in our own kitchen.” She added the last bit with a smirk.

Faustus took her hand, exchanging one last amused look with Edward and then teleporting his wife and himself away. “Poor Edward”, he noted, when they were standing in their own house. “Two shocks in one day.”

Zelda only laughed. To him, it was the most beautiful sound in the world. _Finally, they were safe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second to last chapter, yay! the next one is going to wrap up this story and then there's gonna be a third part for which i am VERY excited because great things are coming!


	25. Believe in Love

Zelda was sitting in her office, legs resting on her desk, and a bunch of open files lying in front of her. It had been five years since she had risen to the office of minister, and she had not come to regret the decision even once. A smile formed on her lips when she thought about the reformations she had brought upon the individual churches, now more and more young witches ascending to the place of High Priestess.

Not that it had been easy, oh no definitely not. Getting away with murdering the Minister had not been as easy as Zelda had initially hoped, and even today some still began to whisper when she walked by. She had made use of the dungeons in the basement once or twice when an old warlock had tried to overthrow her, but other than that it had been a calm five years with trouble mostly avoided.

She turned back to her desk, suddenly feeling sick. During the last few days the feeling had come and gone, leaving her to get up in the middle of the night to throw up if need to. A nasty stomach bug, perhaps, but she had yet managed to keep it a secret from her husband. She didn’t want him to worry, or tell her to stay home from work for a couple of days.

Taking a deep breath to get rid of the feeling, she got up from her chair. It was almost ten in the evening and perhaps time to make her way home. Faustus would be waiting for her.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted the silence. Zelda sighed. “Come in”, she called, crossing her arms and giving the door an expectant look.

To her big surprise, Marie stepped inside. Marie, who was supposed to be in Greendale, and who was wearing such a deep look of concern that Zelda was wondering what might have happened which brought her to New York at this hour. “Your Excellency”, the other witch greeted her, respectfully tilting her head.

Zelda frowned, slightly worried already. “Marie, what can I do for you?” she waned to know. It could mean nothing good.

The other witch took a deep breath, looking hesitant. “It has to do with the Academy of Unseen Arts and their children’s home.”   
Now that was something really not relevant right now. “My husband is the High Priest”, Zelda replied. “Bring this matter to him.” She really had enough stuff on her plate already.

Marie cleared her throat. “I would rather not, your Excellency.” A file appeared in her hands, and she stepped forward in order to hand it over to Zelda. Her face was apologetic. “I would not have brought it to your attention if I would not have seen it as important”, she added.

Frowning, Zelda glared down at the brown file. She opened it, noticing instantly that it was the document of a child. A little girl, to be precise. The name _Prudence_ was written down on the front page, and she was six years old. She lived in the Academy’s children’s home. Still having no idea what this should be about, Zelda looked up. “I don’t understand”, she told Marie.

The other witch pressed her lips together, gently turning the first page of the file. On the second page, a photo of the little girl was printed. Looking at her, Zelda almost dropped the documents. Her whole body seemed to go numb.

She was really pretty, and cute as well. Her skin was dark and she had little curls, but that was not what shocked Zelda so much. It were her eyes. Because even on the photo, she recognized them.

“Your Excellency”, Marie began, obviously noticing her reaction. “I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries, but I thought-” she cleared her throat again. “I thought you should know.”

Zelda was trying really hard to keep her composure, responding with a tensed smile. “Thank you, Marie. If you would excuse me now.”

The other witch nodded hectically, basically fleeing the office.

Once the door was shut, Zelda fell to her knees next to her garbage can and threw up, struggling to catch her breath. She had no idea what had happened, but when she got up again, she was feeling dizzy.

Leaning against the desk for support, she grabbed the file again. The girl was looking at her, all innocent, but her eyes were just screaming at Zelda. Because this girl had Faustus’ eyes. Zelda ran a hand through her hair, fingers slightly trembling. Even Marie had noticed.

Briefly she skimmed through the documents. _Six years old._ Her brain went back, back to that point when her husband had told her that he had – once more – cheated. This time with consequences. Back then, she had been busy taking care of the witch hunters and had forgotten all about it, but now the memories returned. He had _known._ And so had she, to some extent. And yet the poor little girl was living in a children’s home. Zelda wondered if Faustus knew, or if he did, if he cared.

She took a deep breath, continuing to read. _Mother died of suicide._ The words burned themselves into Zelda’s brain, making her feel sick once more. The poor girl was all alone in the world. Her surname was _night,_ the Church of Night’s orphan name. Because no one knew who her father was. It was not in the document, nor could Prudence know. Her mother had died before she could tell her as much.

Zelda closed the file, not being able to stare at the foreign girl with the yet so familiar eyes any longer. Yet, she felt empathy. Sadness, even. This was her husband’s child, and he did not even care. He had wanted to get rid of her.

Suddenly she felt a vibration in the protective spells she had spun around her office, indicating that someone was teleporting inside. Without thinking about it, she let the file disappear in between her other ones. It was hidden by the time Faustus was standing in front of her desk.

“I was wondering if you would ever come home today”, he greeted her, looking around the room. “Why take so long?”   
  
She rolled her eyes, getting up from her chair and ignoring the little guilty voice in her head which was telling her to be honest with him. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Work”, she replied shortly, leaning back against the desk. “You know how it is.”

He sighed, pressing her a little tighter against the desk. “I would appreciate it if I actually saw you once a day”, he whispered, before pressing a few kisses against the skin of her neck.

Zelda was struggling to relax at the touch, thoughts still partly occupied with what she had just learned. _Tell him,_ the voice in her head was saying. She ignored her.

Naturally, Faustus noticed that she was distracted. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently, letting his fingers run through her hair.

Internally, she sighed. Why did he always have to pick up on everything? “Nothing”, she replied, adding a smile. “Just stress.”

Her husband was studying her face, obviously debating whether to believe her or not, but eventually nodded and kissed her again. “I know something great against stress”, he breathed against the skin of her neck, teeth softly tearing at the skin there.

Zelda closed her eyes for a moment, trying to shake of the feeling of unwellness which had befallen her ever since she had picked up that file. “We should probably go home first, shouldn’t we?” she interrupted her husband eventually, who was already busy with the zip of her dress. “I have a reputation to lose around here”, she added jokingly.

Faustus rolled his eyes, picking her up by the waist and teleporting the two of them away, naturally right into their bedroom. He let her down on the bed, immediately pushing her down onto the mattress. “Anything else to complain about?” he whispered against her lips, his dark eyes gleaming in the dim light.

Zelda bit her lip, shaking her head a little. His effort was actually making her rather amused, which was why she decided to continue this a little longer. This was a game she could also play at. “I don’t think I’m in the mood”, she replied, not able to hide the little smirk on her lips. She rolled away from under him, sitting up in the bed.

Faustus huffed, glaring at her.

“Maybe you can convince me”, she added, watching as his eyes grew a little darker. He always loved a challenge.

Before she could even react, he was on top of her again, having her wrists pinned left and right beside her head. His breathing on her skin was sending shivers down her spine and Zelda felt herself properly enjoying this. The image of the girl had sunken to the back of her mind for now.

“Do you want me to make you beg?” he said quietly, voice hoarse, only letting go of her wrists while opening the back of her dress. He was painfully slow, pulling the fabric over her shoulders and down to her hips.

She huffed in response, still smirking. “You can try”, she replied teasingly, although not trying to free herself from his grip either. Instead she got him out of his shirt, letting her fingers run over his naked back.

Faustus joined their lips, tongue flicking into her mouth and with such force to push her backwards into the pillows. She was gasping, struggling for air when he continued to trail kisses over her neck and throat, leaving purple marks against her skin. _This man was driving her insane._ Especially since now, he was taking his extra time, just to mess with her head.

“Begging already?” he breathed against her lips, almost kissing her, but never going for it. His eyes were gleaming with amusement.

Zelda gave him a playful look. “Not quite”, she replied, immediately drawing in a sharp breath when she felt his hand travelling over her thigh. “Getting there”, she added, giving her best to keep her voice from shaking when she felt his finger against the soft fabric of her lace underwear.

Faustus kissed her neck again. “I love you”, he said quietly.

 _I love you too,_ she thought, but with the image of his child at the back of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the end of part 2, i hope you enjoyed it & i'm already teasing part 3 here so definitely stay tuned for that one! the first chapter is probably coming tomorrow <3


End file.
